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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 







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Building a Country Sunday School 


V 





Building a Country 
Sunday School 



E. L. MIDDLETON 

General Secretary, Sunday School Department 
Baptist State Convention, N. C. 



> > 
> > > 


New York Chicago 

Fleming H. Revell Company 

LonOon and Edinburgh 


Copyright, 1923, by 
FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 


, M S’ 



©C! A711244 

New York: 158 Fifth Avenue 
Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. 
London: 21 Paternoster Square 
Edinburgh: 75 Princes Street 


JUL19 '23 


To 

Seven Brothers 
who have toiled a lifetime as 

Superintendents and Teachers in Country Sunday Schools 

this volume is dedicated. 



PREFATORY NOTE 

A MATTER of common knowledge shared 
by all in any way interested in the Coun¬ 
try Sunday School and its problems, is 
that represented by the varying conditions under 
which the work is carried on, not only in different 
sections of the country, but among the various de¬ 
nominations operating in identical areas. To con¬ 
duct a discussion such as that undertaken by the 
author in the following pages, therefore, in a man¬ 
ner which would meet these divergent conditions, 
in their entirety, was a task not possible of accom¬ 
plishment. 

Another important fact, which should be borne 
in mind, is the far-reaching effect that the merging 
of the International Sunday School Association 
and the Sunday-school Council of Evangelical De¬ 
nominations has occasioned. This merger does not 
represent a universal agreement among Sunday- 
school workers in matters relating to grading, selec¬ 
tions of lesson material, and so forth. 

Where, in this book, the author’s suggestions ap- 

7 



8 


PREFATORY NOTE 


pear to be at variance with methods favoured by 
his readers, it will be found to be a simple matter 
to adapt the plans and policies he offers, to those 
of any religious body whatsoever. 

E. L. M. 

Raleigh, N. 0 . 


Contents 


Introduction.11 

I. Facing the Facts.15 

II. Reaching the People for the Sunday 

School.26 

III. Grading the Sunday School . . 39 

IV. General Officers — The Superin¬ 

tendent .51 

V. General Officers — The Pastor and 

Others .60 

VI. Elementary Classes and Departments 69 

VII. Advanced Classes and Departments . 81 

VIII. Special Organization for Seniors and 

Adults.93 

IX. Suggestions About Sunday-School 

Buildings .104 

X. The Sunday School in Session . .115 

XI. The Teacher's High Calling . .125 

XII. The Teacher as Learner and Leader . 136 

XIII. Magnifying the Country Sunday 

School .148 

XIV. Questions for Review and Exam¬ 

ination .156 




\ 














INTRODUCTION 


T HE American people are studying rural 
conditions and problems as never before. 
They are beginning to see the vital rela¬ 
tionship existing between rural success or failure 
and the success or failure of every other enterprise. 
Country life commissions are meeting and study¬ 
ing what to do and how to do it. The National 
Government and all state governments have their 
Departments of Agriculture. These do not simply 
study how to raise more food, but how to make 
rural life more worth while. In this program we 
find plans for better homes and home comforts, 
better schools, better roads, better means of com¬ 
munication—better everything in the country. 

The great Christian denominations are begin¬ 
ning to see the urgency—the imperative necessity 
of giving attention to country churches. This 
obligation must be met in a large way in the coun¬ 
try Sunday Schools, because over ninety per cent 
of these churches have preaching only once or twice 
a month, and if the light of truth is really to shine 
the country Sunday Schools must be aroused and 
equipped to do the work. Certain denominations 

now have a regular department of their Sunday- 

ll 


12 


INTRODUCTION 


school Board for rural Sunday Schools with a 
Secretary in charge, while others through their 
Sunday-school Board, have a program for Rural 
Sunday-school work, limited only by the willing¬ 
ness of country Sunday Schools to have insti¬ 
tutes for their betterment and the ability to find 
men and women to do the work. In other words, 
the money is not lacking. 

In the effort to bring all Sunday Schools to the 
highest standards of equipment, organization and 
general activities, the country schools have met 
many handicaps and had little real help. The 
secretaries of the general boards have been entirely 
inadequate to reach most of these schools, and they 
are not blameworthy for not doing so, for they have 
been working on the principle of the largest good 
to the largest number. State secretaries have done 
much in this great task, but these have lacked uni¬ 
fied programs (as in other lines of work) for 
Sunday-school enlargement and betterment. An¬ 
other handicap is the lack of a literature, in books 
especially, discussing the problems from the view¬ 
point of the country school. I am yet to find one 
book written, using rural phraseology. Most coun¬ 
trymen have some prejudice against plans using 
city nomenclature entirely and recognize the im¬ 
practicability of attempting to use plans made for 
city schools. 

In this discussion no effort is made to set forth 
anything new. The place and value of agreed 


INTRODUCTION 


IB 


upon policies and methods in the modem Sunday 
School are fully recognized. Many people, when 
they hear or read these, think they must try to 
adopt them when they ought to adapt them to their 
conditions and needs. That is exactly what I have 
tried to do in every subject discussed. I hope I 
have made the great essential points plain enough 
to he used by any country Sunday School. In 
study courses there are hooks discussing the or¬ 
ganization and work of the departments in the 
large schools. Many of these departments are 
larger than thousands of country Sunday Schools. 
As these departmental workers need to know the 
work of the entire department, so the workers of a 
country Sunday School need to know every phase 
of the work in their little Sunday School. 

I venture a personal word: I am a countryman 
by birth and rearing. For twelve years after leav¬ 
ing college I was a day-school teacher and a Sun¬ 
day-school teacher in a little village that had once- 
a-month preaching and half the membership of 
the Sunday School was in the country. For fif¬ 
teen years more I have been a State Sunday-school 
Secretary in a rural state. I have been in every 
one of the hundred counties in my state, and have 
worked and studied in the country Sunday 
Schools. 

When I began the writing of this book I betook 
myself to the country. I went to the home of my 
birth. I wanted to be under the great old oaks 


14 


INTRODUCTION 


and near the country church where I found my 
Saviour. I wanted to walk in the highway trod 
by the dear old country pastor who baptized me 
in the old mill race. As I walked from the train 
to the old home I learned a great lesson for coun¬ 
try Sunday Schools. Since my last visit, the old 
home had been painted with three coats of white 
paint. It was beautiful amid the big oaks. A 
sixteen-year-old nephew, with no experience, but 
with common sense and the enthusiasm of youth, 
had done the work, and he had done it well. The 
lesson: If persons with talent and consecration in 
the country Sunday Schools would do their best as 
completely as that boy did for his father’s house, 
these schools would be as much improved in ap¬ 
pearance and efficiency as that farmhouse. 

I acknowledge with gratitude valuable sugges¬ 
tions and criticisms from friends and co-workers. 
From their personal words and paragraphs in 
tracts and other publications invaluable help has 
come. I would mention B. W. Spilman, Harvey 
Beauchamp, W. D. Hudgins, Livingston Johnson 
and W. F. Marshall, all of whom read the first copy 
of the manuscript. Mrs. Lydia Yates Hilliard 
practically re-wrote the chapter on elementary 
classes. 


I 


FACING THE FACTS 

T HE study of country Sunday Schools is 
vital. Many great problems are involved. 
Hitherto these problems have not been 
considered in a separate discussion. It was con¬ 
sidered that the rural worker would learn the basal 
principles, plans and methods in general discus¬ 
sions and adapt these to his peculiar needs, but all 
too many have failed to do this. 

The bigness of the problems involved grows out 
of the well-known fact that nearly half the popula¬ 
tion in the United States and nearly three-fourths 
of the people in the South live in the country or in 
villages. This makes it a matter of most vital im¬ 
portance to see that the religious life of the country 
people is adequately provided for. 

What happens in the country affects everything 
everywhere. The religious life of our rural people 
always has and always will largely determine that 
of the cities. Make a test at any State Convention 
and you will find ninety per cent of the preachers 
in city pulpits came from country and village 

churches. Study local church leadership—church 

15 


16 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


and Sunday-school officers—and you will find that 
they, too, largely came from the country. 

The country is now furnishing the leadership in 
education, business and politics. To find how to 
make out of country hoys and girls the best men 
and women possible is to find out how to safeguard 
every interest of the future. It is not enough to 
care for their bodies through boards of health, and 
to develop and train their minds through fine sys¬ 
tems of public schools. There is also a definite 
challenge to country churches to make adequate 
provision for the best religious instruction and 
training. 

THE CHALLENGE TO COUNTRY CHURCHES 

Conditions have changed so greatly and so 
rapidly in a decade that the work in country 
churches is no longer simply a difficult problem; it 
is a positive challenge to every interest. The editor 
of a great farm paper says, “ We must give more 
attention to country churches. This is important, 
not only because it is vitally necessary for a proper 
rural civilization, but also because the country 
church is breeding the largest proportion of town 
and city leaders, not only in churches, but also in 
banks, factories, stores and municipal life.” 

To meet such a challenge country Sunday 
Schools must be used to the greatest advantage. 
We need the wisest counsel and the most earnest co¬ 
operative effort to make them as efficient as pos- 




FACING THE FACTS 


17 


flible. They have achieved well in the past. No 
man of vision will question this, but old methods 
must be changed to meet new conditions. 

There must be created such an atmosphere for 
worship that the work will be effective. This work 
will reduce itself to just four things: 

1. Organization to take care of those who at¬ 
tend. This requires trained officers to conduct the 
school and sufficient classes and departments to 
meet the needs of a graded school. 

2. A Building and Equipment to meet the 
needs of physical comforts. There must be some 
attractiveness, too, if we hope to reach and hold 
children and youths. 

3. Enlistment , or reaching the great numbers 
now not in Sunday School. This means from fifty 
to eighty per cent of the entire rural population. 

4. Teachers who, by consecration, training and 
experience, will teach the Bible so effectively that 
the lost will be saved and the saved taught and 
trained for service. 

A SURVEY OF DIFFICULTIES 

No one can be so optimistic that he will not see 
difficulties to be met and obstacles to be overcome. 
No one doubts that present conditions are a menace 
to real success in country Sunday Schools. A few 
weak places, with some brief suggestions as to how 
to strengthen them, are here given: 

(1) Bad roads through a part of the year, espe- 


18 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


cially in winter, keep many from going to Sunday 
School. In some places these roads are well-nigh 
impassable, especially on Sunday. There is a 
double difficulty here when we consider the large 
territory concerned. 

Two things need to be done. Everyone really 
interested in having good Sunday Schools should 
be also interested in good roads and show this in 
word and deed. After a survey of the territory 
has been made, branch or mission schools may be 
established and conducted by church leaders, using 
local workers as far as possible. But this should 
not be done if it is at all possible to bring them 
together at the church. One great Sunday School 
is worth more than two or three very weak ones. 

(2) Sunday visiting is one of the greatest bar¬ 
riers to country Sunday Schools. All of us from 
the country know the monotony and humdrum 
life in the separateness of the homes. The right 
kind of social life ought to be cultivated, but not 
at the expense of the Sunday Schools. We violate 
two of God’s laws by Sunday visiting. We do not 
keep the day holy and we fail to assemble ourselves 
together. 

The coming of the automobile is adding to this 
difficulty. While we are getting so many people 
to pledge money for the Kingdom we need to get 
some pledges to use automobiles to carry ourselves 
and others less fortunate than ourselves to Sunday 
School. The beautiful country hospitality often 


FACING THE FACTS 19 

becomes a real sin in keeping many people away 
from Sunday School and the preaching services. 

(3) A low valuation of the Sunday School puts 
it in the wrong light in the thinking of the people. 
Sunday Schools were started for children, hut long 
since they have been for everybody. Many people 
have not found this out. From the pulpit, in the 
religious press, through Sunday School institutes 
and conventions the Sunday School must be prop¬ 
erly magnified and dignified in the minds of those 
who are not now interested. 

(i) A wrong conception of relationship often 
exists as regards the Sunday School and the church. 
Many consider the Sunday School and the church 
separate organizations. The fact is, the Sunday 
School is only an agency of the church, and when 
in session it is just as much the church in a meet¬ 
ing as when an hour later the pastor is preaching. 
One service is for teaching the Bible and the other 
for preaching it, and both are commanded again 
and again. Every effort is being made to have 
every church elect the officers and teachers for the 
Sunday School. This will emphasize the claims of 
the Sunday School on the church members. 

(5) Once-a-month preaching and non-resident 
pastors make it most difficult to keep together any 
congregation. Too many people would rather go 
to other churches to hear preaching than be useful 
Sunday-school workers in their own churches. To 
attend preaching at other churches than our own 


20 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


is commendable, but not nearly so much so as to be 
loyal to our own cburcb in trying to save the lost 
and train the saved to service. The very doing of 
these things will give us training. 

Perfect loyalty to every interest of one’s own 
church is the plain, unquestioned duty of every 
church member. In our church vows we promised 
to maintain its public worship. People who neglect 
their own Sunday Schools in order to attend preach¬ 
ing at other churches are sometimes called religious 
vagrants. They do no religious work, but enjoy 
the privileges furnished by others. 

A good, live Sunday School will go far towards 
stimulating a rural church to frequent preaching 
services and towards bringing the preachers nearer. 
A pastor likes to live near the livest church which 
he serves, and if conditions are made favourable he 
may become its resident pastor. 

(6) Lack of organization and equipment is one 
of the greatest barriers to success. Many country 
Sunday Schools are but little more than religious 
mass meetings. This is far better than nothing, 
but in such a day as this we must do God’s work 
as effectively as we do our own. The human 
factor is a big one in our Sunday Schools. God 
will do His part, but we must do ours. In subse¬ 
quent pages we discuss the matter of organization 
in some detail. There is not a country Sunday 
School that cannot measure up to denominational 
standards of organization and equipment. 



FACING THE FACTS 


21 


Some years ago the author visited one of the 
most unpromising country Sunday Schools he had 
ever seen. He decided to see what could be done 
with such conditions. They caught a vision of bet¬ 
ter things. In two years the Sunday School 
reached the Standard of Excellence. The entire 
church and community were awakened and revived. 
They are now building an excellent new house. 
The Sunday School continues its high degree of 
efficiency. There are thousands of country Sunday 
Schools with more favourable conditions than this 
one. 

A SURVEY OF CONDITIONS THAT ENCOURAGE 

The farmers, if they can somehow stabilize their 
products and stop speculation, have at last come 
into their own. The general public were never so 
dependent on them as now. They have assumed 
a position of importance in American life not 
dreamed of a generation ago. To fail in the relig¬ 
ious life of rural people at such a crisis would be 
a national catastrophe. Great Sunday School 
agencies—Boards and Secretaries—can well afford 
to learn how to use these favourable conditions for 
the improvement of country Sunday Schools. 

(1) Improved economic conditions can be util¬ 
ized for great advancement. Recently two days 
were spent with a country church established in 
1727—the oldest in my state. Through all these 
years it has been a typical church in a well- 


22 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


developed rural section. It had never had over 
twice-a-month preaching, with pastor receiving not 
over $400.00 a year. Before its awaking it gave 
$353.00 to outside denominational objects. 

This church was made to see its power and duty. 
A pastor was called for full time at a salary of 
$1,500. The church soon bought a pastor’s home 
and paid for it in cash. In eight months they 
raised $1,475 for general benevolent objects. The 
church’s annual letter showed that over $5,000 had 
been paid during the preceding Associational year. 
A Teacher-Training class was at work. The Sun¬ 
day School was being reorganized. The pastor was 
talking of a Sunday School of 500. A remodeled 
building was being discussed with adequate class 
rooms, but pending this they were planning to use 
the public school building and a Masonic hall ad¬ 
joining the church for some of their classes. 

This same thing could happen in some measure 
in thousands of country churches, if we could see 
and utilize this favourable hour among our farmers. 
It will require some Christian statesmanship and 
faithful work by great religious agencies to do 
this. 

(2) Extension of rural conveniences. The 
country is no longer an undesirable place of resi¬ 
dence. Conditions undreamed of a few decades 
ago now prevail almost everywhere. All well- 
developed rural districts have really become com¬ 
pact communities. Even though several miles in- 


FACING THE FACTS 


23 


tervene between bouses, what matters it? They 
are really near together. 

Good roads are being built everywhere, and it is 
only a question of a little time when all highways 
will be rebuilt. This will put every farmer in 
reach of a market and in easy reach of his neigh¬ 
bours. The automobile makes neighbours of peo¬ 
ple formerly absolutely separated. These new con¬ 
ditions ought to bring thousands into country 
Sunday Schools, and will if the Sunday Schools are 
made worth while in spirit and program. 

Rural mails go to almost every community. 
Country people are no longer an uninformed and 
ignorant people. With more time for reading and 
for meditation they are in many cases the best in¬ 
formed people among us. Not to use such favour¬ 
able conditions for the improvement of the Sunday 
Schools is to lose one of our greatest opportunities. 
The people ought to be as intelligent about the 
modem Sunday School as they are about modern 
farming and the current topics discussed in daily 
and weekly newspapers. 

Rural telephones make it easy to invite the unen¬ 
listed and the absentee. This agency has driven 
rural isolation from thousands of communities. 
The most sanguine optimist cannot yet tell how 
valuable an agency it may become to Sunday 
Schools if wisely and extensively used. 

(3) Improved public schools ought to be an in¬ 
centive. We should seek to make our church 


24 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


schools their equal in every way—in organization, 
equipment and teaching. Thousands of teachers in 
the public schools ought to be used as teachers of 
Normal classes in Teacher-Training work. These 
teachers may not be able to conduct regular classes, 
since they are away a part of the year, but they can 
be used for this work during the school year. 

The public school is generally well equipped 
with seats, maps and charts, and the Sunday-school 
equipment ought to and must compare favourably 
with it. Christian parents, as church members, 
ought to be as loyal to the spiritual welfare of their 
children as they are as citizens to their intellectual 
welfare. 

(4) A consciousness of independence makes 
country people a factor in American life more 
potent than at any time in our history. The farm¬ 
ers know they are no longer the “ under dog,” and 
all rejoice that this is true. There is a potency 
here that religious agencies must utilize or suffer 
for their failure. If we can convince our country 
people that they can have the best Sunday Schools 
in the world they will have them. Many of them 
have an idea that rural conditions are unfavourable 
for Sunday-school efficiency. Their minds must be 
disabused of this error. There is enough latent 
talent—if only developed—to furnish leadership 
for every rural Sunday School. The same spirit 
which enables country people to compel the enact¬ 
ment of just legislation, to fix a fair price for their 


FACING THE FACTS 


25 


products, to secure for themselves all the comforts 
which people in the city have, can be used for doing 
big things for God. 

restatement for review 

1. Big Problems 

(1) A large proportion of people in the country. 

(2) Country furnishes preachers and church 

leaders. 

(3) Leadership of business from country. 

2. A Country Church Challenge 

(1) Organization to take care of those who attend. 

(2) A building and equipment to meet the needs. 

(3) Enlistment, or reaching the people. 

(4) Teachers who will teach the Bible. 

3. A Survey of Difficulties 

(1) Bad roads and large territory. 

(2) Sunday visiting. 

(3) A low rating of the Sunday School. 

(4) A wrong conception of relationship. 

(5) Once-a-month preaching. 

(6) Lack of organization and equipment. 

4. A Survey of Conditions that Encourage 

(1) Improved economic conditions. 

(2) Extension of rural conveniences. 

(3) Improved public schools. 

(4) A consciousness of independence. 


II 


BEACHING THE PEOPLE FOR THE 
SUNDAY SCHOOL 

L ET us not forget the four major essentials 
of a Sunday School—(1) An adequate 
Organization, (2) A suitable Building 
and Equipment , (3) Enlistment or reaching the 
unreached, (4) Teaching the Bible. All these are 
vital to the success of the Sunday School. Con¬ 
sider now the matter of getting the people into the 
Sunday School. Too long we have treated it as a 
matter of course that they will come. 

We face the stern fact that only a small minority 
are actually in Sunday School. Examine any con¬ 
siderable territory and you will find more people 
who used to go to Sunday School and now do not 
than you will find in all the Sunday Schools in the 
same territory. It seems that great losses are in¬ 
evitable, hut we must learn to be so businesslike 
that this leakage will be greatly reduced. 

Then, again, there are thousands who were not 
in Sunday School in their childhood and have not 
been enlisted in manhood and womanhood. The 
lack of an adequate organization and efficient teach¬ 
ing keeps them from going now. 

26 


REACHING THE PEOPLE 


27 


No Sunday School is going to reach those who 
have been lost or win those who have never been 
enlisted until it really feels the need of their being 
reached. It must be realized that if it is worth 
while to have the present membership in Sunday 
School it is just as desirable to have others there 
also. 

The fact is that hut little over fifteen per cent of 
the American people belong to the Sunday Schools. 
In the South a larger percentage has been reached, 
but a careful survey of any rural community will 
reveal great numbers unreached. We mention 
four ways of reaching them: (1) Advertise; (2) 
Take a Religious Census; (3) Stop the Leaks; (4) 
Vitalize. 


I. ADVERTISE THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 

God’s people have not yet learned the value of 
publicity in church activities. “ The children of 
this world are wiser in their generation than the 
children of light.” It need not be said that coun¬ 
try people cannot be reached for industrial pur¬ 
poses. Automobiles, improved farm machinery, 
up-to-date household furnishings—anything the 
farmers need can be brought to their attention. 
Let it be granted that the personal element enters 
largely in reaching them, but that is just the ele¬ 
ment the Sunday School needs to use. Every class 
can plan to reach every one who ought to belong 
to that class. Some member becomes responsible 


28 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


for those on the outside and seeks in every way 
possible to keep the claims of the school before 
them. Of course the pastor and the general officers 
will lend full co-operation. 

The country newspaper is always ready to open 
its columns for announcements about Special Days, 
campaigns of all kinds—every effort you may put 
forth. The rural telephone can become a big 
factor as an agency for advertising the Sunday 
School. Why not have a bulletin board in front 
of the church by the side of the road and put suit¬ 
able appeals and announcements on it? 

II. TAKE A RELIGIOUS CENSUS 

This is nothing more than finding the constitu¬ 
ency of a Sunday School or the name of every per¬ 
son who ought to be in it, if perfect conditions 
prevailed. This survey will show the possibilities, 
fix definite responsibility on the workers, grade the 
Sunday School and help greatly in reaching the 
people. 

(1) Planning for it. The work may be done 
by one church, by one denomination, or by all 
denominations. First decide on your territory. 
After this is done, let it be divided into a few 
necessary districts by some one who is thoroughly 
familiar with it. Use roads, streams, etc., for this 
purpose. Put in charge of each district a captain, 
who is responsible for the work in that district. 
Let him make as many subdistricts as are neces- 


REACHING THE PEOPLE 


29 


sary. These subdistricts ought to include from 
forty to sixty people. After this subdivision has 
been made, secure enough workers. Let all cap¬ 
tains and their co-workers meet at the church or 
some other desirable place, and let some one in 
charge of the census—pastor or superintendent or 
one of the captains—thoroughly explain the pur¬ 
pose and plan of the work. Sunday afternoon is 
the best time for the canvass. 















30 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


We give map of a typical territory for a census 
in a country Sunday School. Note the boundary— 
Grove Swamp, Marsh Branch, a railroad and three 
places with no natural boundary. These latter will 
not even follow a road, for the people on both sides 
of a road will go to the same Sunday School. The 
territory touches that of four other Sunday Schools 
of the same denomination. Across the railroad is 
a mission, or branch school. On the Northeast is 
a great stretch of territory reached by no Sunday 
School of any denomination. 

(2) Doing the work. Give to each worker a 
sufficient number of cards calling for the following 
information: 

Name. 

Road... 

Age. 

Exact year under 30 Check above if over 30 

Attend Sunday School—Yes. No. 

Church member—Yes. No..... . 

Church preference. 

Let every one in the canvass start as nearly as 
possible at the same time; in most cases the work 
can be done within from one and one-half to three 
hours. Be sure to fill out a card for each person, 
from the smallest baby to the oldest man or woman. 
Do not leave out anybody in the territory. Have 
the cards brought back to the person in charge. 
Assort them, and if there are some of other de¬ 
nominations, give these to persons of that denomi- 











REACHING THE PEOPLE 


31 


nation, and let them use them in such a way as 
they see fit, but keep for your own use every one 
that is a member of your denomination or prefers 
your denomination, and those of no preference. 
Take these cards that are to be used by your church 
and Sunday School and classify them according to 
age, using the basis of grading by departments as 
set forth in the discussion on grading in the next 
chapter. 

(3) Some Hints for the Canvass. Visit every 
house. Make an individual card for every person. 
Write plainly. Get the age as directed on the card. 
Name the church, and its location. Be careful to 
get an expression from the parents of young chil¬ 
dren who do not attend Sunday School as to their 
preference for them. This right of the parent 
should be respected. Keep sweet. Extend a cor¬ 
dial invitation to all. Any other information which 
may be valuable to the pastor, superintendent, or 
teacher may be recorded on reverse side of card. 

(4) Tabulating the Returns . The officers of 
your school, or a special committee, should care¬ 
fully tabulate the results of the canvass. At least 
four copies should be made—one for the pastor, 
one for the superintendent, one for the associate 
superintendent on membership, and one for the 
teachers. Of course the last copy will not be the 
complete census, but only so much as belongs to 
each teacher. There will be first of all seven 
groups as follows: 



32 


r A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


Cradle Roll . Birth to 3 years 

Beginners.4-5 years 

Primaries.6, 7, 8 years 

Juniors.9,10, 11, 12 years 

Intermediates.. 13, 14, 15,16 years 

Seniors or Young People. .. 17 to 24 years 
Adults.25 years and up 

In the next chapter fuller details of grading will 
be discussed. This is the first step towards that im¬ 
portant matter. 

(5) A Rural Census. We give the actual re¬ 
sults of a census in a country church: 


InS.S.T Churchf 

Total Yes No Yes No 

Cradle Roll. 24 19 5 0 24 

Beginners. 14 11 3 0 14 

Primaries. 17 13 4 0 17 

Juniors.. . 19 19 0 5 14 

Intermediates. 15 15 0 12 3 

Seniors. 45 37 8 40 5 

Adults. 75 33 42 64 11 


Total. 209 147 62 121 88 


Note results by departments and in totals. The 
name of every one of the 209 is recorded in a book, 
“ Record of a Religious Census for a Graded Sun¬ 
day School.” There are ten classes besides the 
Cradle Roll and Home Department—two classes 
for each department above the Primary. The Pri¬ 
mary teacher ought to have at least one assistant. 




















REACHING THE PEOPLE 


33 


Each worker knows definitely the possibility of 
the class. The “ Record ” shows that babies Ward 

., William., Tyree., 

Vernon ., and Velma ., are not 

yet reached for the Cradle Roll. The teacher of 

Beginners knows that Paul ., Bruce 

. ...., and Virginia., are the only 

ones that can be reached. The four teachers of 
Juniors and Intermediates have done a perfect job 
in enlistment, but in evangelism they have the 
names of eight boys and nine girls who are not 
church members. The same information is avail¬ 
able for the teachers of Primaries, Seniors and 
Adults. 

The above record is far better than the average 
Sunday School. Every Sunday School ought to 
have just such detailed information, and can get it. 
It is putting business into the Lord’s work. It is 
considering liabilities as well as assets. 

The achievement in the Sunday School in the 
territory just shown is by no means so good. There 
is a constituency of 240, with only 106 enrolled in 
Sunday School. There is no Cradle Roll and no 
Home Department. Twenty-three Beginners and 
Primaries are unreached. Of the Juniors and In¬ 
termediates seventeen are unreached for the Sun¬ 
day School, and twenty-eight for church member¬ 
ship. Of the Seniors and Adults seventy-seven are 
not in Sunday School and thirty-one are not in the 
church. 










84 


f A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


(6) The Follow-up Canvass. It is almost use¬ 
less to get tlie above information and not use it. 
As already said, at least four copies ought to be 
made and every one used. The pastor in bis pas¬ 
toral visiting will invite the unreached. The 
superintendent in every way possible will try to 
win them. A teacher is grossly negligent of duty 
if every effort possible is not made by himself and 
the class to reach every one who logically belongs 
to the class. The associate superintendent ought to 
be entrusted with the definite task of building up 
the Sunday School. 

III. STOP THE LEAKS 

The average term of membership in the Sunday 
Schools is very short. We have already stated that 
we have lost more people from our Sunday Schools 
than we now have in them. This is one of the 
gravest problems confronting us. It causes greater 
failures in Sunday-school evangelism and effective 
training for service than anything we can name. 
At least ninety-five per cent of those who are kept 
in Sunday School from childhood to maturity ac¬ 
cept Christ in salvation, and from such we get 
nearly all of our efficient church workers. A few 
general suggestions will show how we may hold 
them: 

(1) Expect them. People like to be missed. 
In every way possible impress upon the members 
of your class and the whole school the desirability 


REACHING THE PEOPLE 


35 


of regular attendance. Regularity and promptness 
are Christian graces. No finer elements enter into 
a well-rounded character. Do not fail to express 
joy when an absentee returns, and do not fail to 
try to get him to return. 

(2) Use the class as a team. Create a spirit 
of pleasant rivalry among the classes for the best 
attendance. Most of the boys and girls and young 
people already belong to some kind of a team. Use 
the team spirit for the Sunday School. If one 
member fails to bring back the absentee, try an¬ 
other and another. The wise business man tries all 
expedients until he gets the business. 

(3) Utilize every one. Youth predominates in 
every Sunday School. Practically every one wants 
to do something if shown what to do and how to 
do it. The Sunday School that fails to arrange its 
program so as to use its members is going to fail 
to hold them in its membership. Have something 
new and different every Sunday. Have plenty of 
music that is worshipful, lively and appropriate. 
Assign special duties to classes and departments. 
Short speeches, readings and songs should be fur¬ 
nished from time to time. 

(4) A good system of records will help to keep 
up with the absentees. This will require a little 
time and work, but is well worth while. The Six- 
point Record System is now almost universally ac¬ 
cepted as the best. In it we try to get every one 
to do six things every Sunday—(1) be present, 


36 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


(2) on time, (3) with, a studied lesson, (4) with 
a Bible in hand, (5) make an offering and (6) stay 
to preaching. To do all this makes a perfect grade 
of 100. These six points are assigned certain 
values which aggregate 100 per cent. 

IV. VITALIZE YOUR SUNDAY SCHOOL 

Who does not like to see living things? Who 
does not enjoy activity that brings results ? Put 
life into the Sunday School. That is vitalizing it. 
People instinctively shun dead things. A dead 
Sunday School is no exception. Those who attend 
it will find it out if the officers and teachers have 
not done so. Every live Sunday School is well 
filled with people. Here are a few things that will 
give life to any school: 

(1) A hearty welcome. We are social beings; 
we like good fellowship, and Christian fellowship 
is the finest in the world. The country home fur¬ 
nishes the finest hospitality to be found, but too 
often when country people get to the church they 
forget to show to their neighbours that same cor¬ 
diality they would show in their homes. Give the 
glad hand to everybody, on the churchyard, as they 
enter the church, and do not be in too big a hurry 
to go home after dismissal. 

During the session of the Sunday School there 
ought to be an atmosphere of reverence and wor¬ 
ship, but that in no way interferes with an at¬ 
mosphere of good cheer. Christian people ought 


REACHING THE PEOPLE 


37 


to be the happiest people in the world, and with 
such a large number of children and youths as are 
in Sunday School it must be shown that Christians 
are happy. 

(2) Special days. In the city there are so 
many special things to which to go that a special 
day in Sunday School attracts but little attention, 
but in the country four or five such days every 
year will render fine service for the school and for 
some great interest presented in the program. 
Planning and presenting the program is a great 
field for service for those who lead and a fine 
training for those who take part. 

The educational value of these programs can 
hardly be estimated. Many communities hear the 
claims of Foreign Missions, Christian Education, 
and other causes, on these special days who might 
never hear them from the pulpit. 

(3) An adequate organization . Plan to have 
a suitable and congenial place for every one of 
every age of both sexes. Thousands never join the 
Sunday School because such provision is not made 
for them, and thousands of others leave after join¬ 
ing when they fail to find any special provision for 
them. This will be discussed at length in subse¬ 
quent chapters. 

(4) Real teaching. Everything in a Sunday 
School looks to the time when the teachers come 
before the classes to “ divide the word of truth. 7 ’ 
To fail here will thwart the real purpose of the 


38 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


Sunday School. It ig a holy task the teachers have 
undertaken. To perform this task well requires 
consecration, hard work and faithfulness. To dis¬ 
cuss how to do it requires more space than is avail¬ 
able here, but later chapters give some discussion. 

RESTATEMENT FOR REVIEW 

Preliminary 

(1) Great numbers yet unreached. 

(2) Great losses seem inevitable. 

(3) Feel the need of reaching the unenlisted. 

1. Advertise 

(1) Be “ wise as the children of light.” 

(2) Use personal effort. 

(3) Use newspapers, telephones and bulletin 

boards. 

2. Take a Religious Census 

(1) Planning for it. 

(2) Doing the work. 

(3) Some hints for the canvass. 

(4) Tabulating the returns. 

(5) A rural census. 

(6) The follow-up canvass. 

3. Stop the Leaks 

(1) Expect them. 

(2) Use the class as a team. 

(3) Utilize every one. 

(4) Use a good system of records. 

4. Vitalize your Sunday School 

(1) A hearty welcome. 

(2) Special days. 

(3) An adequate organization. 

(4) Real teaching. 


Ill 


GRADING THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 


G RADING is nothing more than classifica¬ 
tion. It shows itself in almost every 
human activity. All day-schools are now 
graded. The farmer in marketing his crops care¬ 
fully grades his products. The fruit grower is 
doubly careful in grading his apples, peaches, and 
oranges. This is done to secure better reward for 
his labour. The same principle is involved in grad¬ 
ing a Sunday School. We do it in order that our 
teaching may mean more in the lives of those whom 
we teach. It involves three things—(1) putting 
the pupils in the right classes; (2) furnishing them 
with suitable lessons, and (3) having them taught 
by teachers trained for their tasks. 


SOME VALUES IN GRADING 

(1) It is 'pedagogical . Grading is a univer¬ 
sally accepted principle in education. We call our 
organizations “ Schools.” If they are to be really 
schools we must make their work harmonize with 
good educational policies and plans. 

(2) It puts more people to work. Many of our 

teachers are now overworked by having classes too 

3J) 


/ 


40 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


large, of too many ages and made up of both sexes. 
Give them assistance by organizing more classes 
and putting more people to work. 

(3) It saves boys and girls for the Sunday 
School. Boys and girls are growing and develop¬ 
ing faster than we realize. To fail to promote 
them and keep them in congenial groups means we 
will lose them. A country father said, “ My Sun¬ 
day School has frozen out five of my boys by not 
furnishing suitable classes for them.” 

(4) It improves organization and equipment. 
The organization and equipment will be greatly 
improved as the needs are shown for new classes 
and more room. Each department or class will 
largely provide for itself. 

(5) It makes the Sunday School grow. The 
school will grow because by proper classification of 
teachers and pupils you will create class spirit and 
school spirit. Some one will be made responsible 
for every one on the outside, and it will not be long 
before many of them will be members of the 
school. 

(6) Teachers become specialists. Teachers can 
become specialists in a graded Sunday School. 
They keep the same class or department for years. 
Much that is done now is done aimlessly and ac¬ 
complishes but little. Put every pupil in his place 
and give him something to do and good results will 
surely follow. 


GRADING 


41 


GRADING THE PUPILS 

Many people think this is an arbitrary process 
of grouping, but such is not the case. Sunday- 
school workers recognize definite life periods in 
every normal life. There are seven of these periods 
—babyhood, early childhood before starting to the 
public school, later childhood, boyhood and girl¬ 
hood, early youth or adolescence, later adolescence 
or young manhood and womanhood, and maturity. 
This gives rise to eight classes or departments. 
The Home Department comprises those who cannot 
attend Sunday School. The names and ages are as 


follows: 

Cradle Roll... Birth to 3 years 

Beginners ... .. 4 to 5 years 

Primaries... 6 to 8 years 

Juniors. 9 to 12 years 

Intermediates...13 to 16 years 

Seniors or Young People. 17 to 24 years 

Adults.25 and above 


Home Department. Those who cannot attend. 

The largest schools will have just this same 
grouping, called departments, and may have thirty 
to one hundred classes in these departments. Per¬ 
fect grading means at least one separate class for 
each year and for both sexes throughout the school 
except several years may be grouped in the Adult 
Department. 

Between the basal grading of a small school of 









42 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


six classes in the main school with a Cradle Roll 
and Home Department on the outside, and the very 
large school, most of our schools will find their 
place. The principle involved is the same in all. 

PLANS FOR FOUR TO TEN CLASSES 

Practically every school can have the six depart¬ 
ments or classes in the main school, but there are 
many very small schools that may have to group 
two departments, as Beginners and Primaries, or 
Seniors and Adults. The records of one Associa¬ 
tion show twenty schools with enrollment less than 
sixty, and ten of these less than forty-five. Com¬ 
mon sense must determine when to group into four 
or five classes. 

A minimum number of classes for the smallest 
Sunday School would be somewhat as follows: 

Beginners and Primaries: 4 to 8 years. 

Juniors (boys and girls) : 9 to 12 years. 

Intermediates (both sexes): 13 to 17 or 18 

years. 

Seniors and Adults (men and women) : 19 years 
and above. 

The great majority of country Sunday Schools 
need more than the six classes. Again common 
sense in the face of the facts must guide. Base 
your grading on your possibilities, as shown by 
your census, rather than on the number now 
actually enrolled. Suppose you have only three 
Intermediate boys in your school and eight or ten 


GRADING 


43 


others in your community. Form this class and 
build it up from the unreached. 

Above the Primary separate the sexes if pos¬ 
sible. This will really give you ten classes—Be¬ 
ginners, Primaries, Junior boys and Junior girls, 
Intermediate boys and Intermediate girls, young 
men and young women, mature men and mature 
women. With this grading your Seniors will be 
in the class with the younger Adults. You cannot 
fix any arbitrary age for this division, but possibly 
about thirty years will be the age. Many schools 
may have seven, eight or nine classes instead of the 
six or ten. The officers must be their own judges 
when to make two or more classes of a depart¬ 
ment. 

Ten classes put in the form of a table would be 
as follows: 

Beginners —children under 6 years. 

Primaries —children 6, 7 and 8 years of age. 

Junior Boys —9 to 12 years (or boys and girls 
9 and 10 years). 

Junior Girls —9 to 12 years (or boys and girls 
11 and 12 years). 

Intermediate Boys —13 to 16 years. 

Intermediate Girls —13 to 16 years. 

Young Men —17 to about 30 years. 

Young Women —17 to about 30 years. 

Mature Men —over 30 years. 

Mature Women —over 30 years. 


44 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


A PLAN FOB OVEB TEN CLASSES 

The examination of the minutes of an associa¬ 
tion shows fifteen village and country Sunday 
Schools reporting an enrollment above 175. Every 
one of these ought to have more than ten classes. 
Some of them should have fifteen to twenty 
classes. 

Always aim at small classes below the Seniors. 
Consider your equipment and make it the best you 
can. Make strong appeals for men and women to 
serve as teachers. With this force of workers and 
a suitable building grade your school as nearly in 
accordance with complete grading as possible. 

GEADED LESSONS 

There are two kinds of lessons available now— 
Graded Lessons and Improved Uniform Lessons, 
but all of them are graded. The former furnish 
a separate lesson for every year from three years 
to twenty years; the latter have a uniform theme, 
but four separate lessons, grouping Beginners and 
Primaries in one and Seniors and Adults in an¬ 
other. Juniors and Intermediates are separate. 

For the younger classes the Graded Lessons are 
unquestionably better, but the teachers must make 
very careful preparation of these if they wish to 
succeed. If there can be only one class for each 
department, of course only one year’s work can be 
taught at a time. The teacher must rotate these 


GRADING 


45 


in cycles of two, three or four years so that every 
lesson in the course may be taught. 

A Superintendents’ Manual has been provided. 
This is invaluable to the teachers. It gives sup¬ 
plementary material with reviews on the work and 
many helpful suggestions for making the entire 
work effective. For each quarter’s lessons exten¬ 
sive helps are provided for the teachers. 

GRADED TEACHERS 

This is nothing more than securing teachers 
suited to the departments and classes, considering 
their training, experience and adaptability to the 
work. We will never have really graded Sunday 
Schools until we get a more stable teaching force. 
As it is now at least forty per cent of our teachers 
change every year. Too often those who continue 
to teach keep the same pupils from childhood to 
maturity instead of specializing on the methods of 
one department. 


HOW TO GRADE 

No Sunday School will ever he graded until 
some worker in it—pastor, superintendent or 
teacher—sees the value of it. This leader will 
study the subject from tracts, books, in institutes, 
or, best of all, in a well graded Sunday School, and 
bring to his school his findings. He will learn all 
types of schools and all about grading in its fullest 


46 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


details. He will then use his common sense and 
make such modifications as will be suited to his 
school. 

This information will be given to all the officers, 
teachers, and other leaders of the Sunday School. 
If these are not convinced of the desirability of it 
at the first meeting try again and again until they 
are convinced. It is useless to grade the school 
without public sentiment to maintain it. 

Here are some details that must be looked after 
in the conferences just mentioned: 

(1) Get full information through the census of 
your possibilities. If you fail in this get needed 
information about every one now in the Sunday 
School. 

(2) Select a teacher for every class and decide 
whether you will use the Uniform or Graded 
Lessons. 

(3) Select a place for every class and see that 
the children are given the best places in the 
building. 

(4) Have in mind the Promotion Day from 
the very beginning. If not, you will have a graded 
Sunday School only one year. 

(5) Determine to give the plan a fair trial. 
It will not please everybody at first. Be prepared 
to face the faultfinders. 

(6) The test comes on the day you grade. 
Teachers lose pupils and pupils get new teachers. 
Somebody may cry and somebody may get mad, 


GRADING 


47 


but this will come around all right. When the 
work is done the school will he in the following 
groups—call them classes or departments: 

The Cradle Roll will include all the babies who 
are too small to go to Sunday School or to be 
taught in the classes if present with the mothers. 
Make a roll of these and know the birthday of 
each. Put a good woman in charge. Let her send 
a birthday card at each birthday. Keep in touch 
with the home. Bring each one into the Sunday 
School just as soon as old enough. 

The Beginners are the children above the Cradle 
Roll under six years of age. Almost every school 
is large enough for a separate class of these. Some 
schools may need two or more classes. Try to have 
a separate room or curtained space for the class. 
Provide low, comfortable seats. Make the sur¬ 
roundings attractive with pictures, charts, and 
other furnishings. 

The Primaries are the children six to eight 
years old. Provide for them equipment named for 
the Beginners. If the department is large have 
two or more classes. 

The Junior classes have the boys and girls nine 
to twelve years old. This is urged for them: 
“ The Junior Department occupying its own quar¬ 
ters, separated from the rest of the school by walls 
or movable partitions, or at least by curtains.” 
This is very important. These pupils are at the 


48 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


age when attention is difficult to secure. Separate 
the boys and girls, making at least two classes. Do 
not have over ten in a class. 

The Intermediate boys and girls are thirteen to 
sixteen. This is the period of the greatest number 
of conversions, unless faithful soul-winning work 
has been already done in the Junior Department. 
The greatest care should be taken in this depart¬ 
ment to win the lost to Christ. Be sure to separate 
the sexes. Specialists plead for small classes. 

The Seniors. Theoretically, the ages in these 
classes are seventeen to twenty-four. It is for 
young men and young women. With these there 
may be classes, in small schools, of all young peo¬ 
ple. Be sure to provide separate quarters for these, 
with adequate class organization. Engage in some 
definite religious work along with your Bible 
Study. 

The Adult classes are for the mature people. If 
the school is large, observe the ages of the Senior 
Department and have separate organized classes of 
young men and young women there, and other or¬ 
ganized classes for young people in the Adult De¬ 
partment. You will also need suitable classes for 
the older people. You may have one class of men 
and women, or two or more classes, separating the 
sexes. These ought to be organized. 

The Home Department is for those who cannot 
or will not attend Sunday School. Every country 
Sunday School ought to have this department, be- 


GRADING 


49 


cause it is often more difficult to attend Sunday 
School in the country than in the city or town. 

HOW TO KEEP GRADED 

In planning for grading it was urged that Pro¬ 
motion Day be in mind from the beginning. Then 
proper adjustment must be made of every new 
pupil who comes in during the year. Just two 
things must he in every Sunday School that is 
graded and wishes to keep graded: 

(1) A classification officer will assign every 
new pupil to the right class as he enters. The 
superintendent may do this, but it is better to have 
an associate superintendent on membership who 
will do it. It is his definite duty to bring the peo¬ 
ple to the Sunday School and then to assign them 
to the right classes. 

(2) Promotion Day ought to be a great day in 
every Sunday School. It ought to be in the Sun¬ 
day School what commencement day is in the high 
school or college. Sunday-school workers are 
agreed on the last Sunday in September as the 
best time. Some special program ought to be pro¬ 
vided. Every pupil who has passed, during the 
year, the age limit of his class or department should 
be promoted to the next one. This is done care¬ 
fully through the Intermediates. Above this you 
cannot make any definite, formal promotion. 


50 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


RESTATEMENT FOR REVIEW 

The Principle Involved 

1. Values of Grading 

(1) It is pedagogical. 

(2) ' It puts more people to work. 

(3) It saves boys and girls for the Sunday School. 

(4) It improves organization and equipment. 

(5) It makes the Sunday School grow. 

(6) Teachers become specialists. 

2. Grading the Pupils 

(1) It recognizes natural groups. 

(2) Eight departments according to age. 

3. Plans for Four to Ten Classes 

4. Plans for Over Ten Classes 

5. Graded Lessons 

6. Graded or Trained Worhers 

7. How to Grade 

(1) Get full information about every one. 

(2) Select teachers and places for classes. 

(3) Form the new classes. 

(4) Give the plan a fair trial. 

8. How to Keep Graded 

(1) Have a classification officer. 

(2) Observe Promotion Da} r . 


IV 


GENERAL OFFICERS—THE SUPERIN¬ 
TENDENT 


E VERY well organized activity, whether 
secular or religious, must have interested 
and efficient officers. These organizations 
are always looking for men and women of capacity 
and training. Sunday Schools must be as wise as 
secular agencies if they wish to he really suc¬ 
cessful. 

Sunday Schools do not all need the same num¬ 
ber of general officers. Few schools need less than 
six, and very few need over nine or ten. These 
Sunday-school officers are in reality officers of the 
church to which the Sunday School belongs and 
ought to he elected, or at least approved, by the 
church. Entire volumes are given to the study of 
the officers of the Sunday School, and sometimes 
to one officer, as the pastor or superintendent. In 
a country Sunday School these two really deter¬ 
mine the success or failure of the school, and for 
this reason we discuss them more at length than the 
others. 


I. the supeeintendent's peesonaeity 

Any religious leader counts more by what he is 

than by what he says. The character and reputa- 

51 


52 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


tion of a superintendent must stand the test of 
high standards. No man is going to measure up 
to ideals, but those selected must approach them as 
nearly as possible. 

These qualifications have been named: “ even- 
tempered, cheerful, agreeable, considerate of the 
opinion of others, firm in dealing with problems 
presented, fond of children, sympathetic, level¬ 
headed, punctual, a progressive spirit, willing to 
learn, with executive ability, patient, with a love 
for the Bible, a real Christian and a Bible student 
who knows the Bible.” The one who wrote this 
says the man who measured up to this is dead and 
in heaven, and that his like will not appear again. 
Possibly not, but every superintendent ought to 
strive diligently to reach such an ideal. 

Just a few outstanding qualifications are briefly 
discussed: 

(1) Executive ability . His work is pre-emi¬ 
nently along the lines of getting things done. He 
is the one who makes things go. This he does by 
securing the co-operation of his co-workers. It is 
not so much how much work he does, but how much 
he can get others to do. Not only must he plan 
to get other officers and teachers to work, but he 
must find something for the pupils to do. 

(2) Information. Knowing comes before in¬ 
telligent doing. He ought to know the Bible and 
never go to Sunday School without a carefully pre- 


THE SUPERINTENDENT 


53 


pared lesson. He ought to be thoroughly familiar 
with books on Sunday-school work. This means he 
knows how to reach and hold the people for the 
Sunday School. He knows when his school is ade¬ 
quately organized. He knows his pupils and his 
co-workers. He knows whether his teachers are 
really teaching or not. 

(3) Common sense. This is rather an uncom¬ 
mon thing, but something much needed. The 
superintendent deals with the most varied constitu¬ 
ency of any man in any kind of public service, 
secular or religious. The secular teacher deals 
with children and youths; the college professor 
with young people. The superintendents of indus¬ 
try with men and women, but the Sunday-school 
Superintendent with everybody from the cradle to 
the grave. He must cultivate methods of getting 
along with folks. This is tact. 

(4) Aggressiveness. He cannot afford to let 
his school just “ hold its own.” No Sunday School, 
except a penitentiary, has everybody in it who 
ought to be there. No school is so efficient that 
there cannot be some improvement somewhere. 
Every superintendent must learn in every way pos¬ 
sible how to put life into his school. 

(5) A passion for souls . The main business 
of every Sunday School is to save the lost. The 
man in charge of every Sunday School must keep 
this holy task before it. He must learn how to be 
a soul-winner himself. 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


§4 


II. SOME GENERAL DUTIES 

(1) Unifying the workers. One of the first 
things to be done in making an army is to teach a 
small group of raw recruits to keep step. In too 
many cases the officers and teachers in a Sunday 
School do not “ keep step.” They have different 
ideals and methods, and some of these are wrong. 
The superintendent ought to plan for perfect har¬ 
mony and co-operation among those at work with 
him. 

(2) Training the workers. Unified, intelli¬ 
gent service is going to bring results. The methods 
of Teacher Training are discussed later. The 
superintendent may not teach the normal class, but 
he must be active in seeing that it is done. 

(3) Meeting the teachers. Unification and 
training will be largely worthless unless there are 
regular times for the study of next Sunday’s lesson 
and for conference. This is building weekly on the 
foundation of the basal training in normal study. 
“ A good teachers' meeting is an absolute guar¬ 
antee of: 

(a) Better teaching in the Sunday School. 

(b) It affords the Superintendent an oppor¬ 

tunity to find out the needs of the 
school and intelligently plan to meet 
them. 

(c) It is the pastor’s best chance to enlist and 

utilize the best soul-winning forces in 
his church. 


THE SUPERINTENDENT 


55 


(d) It furnishes an opportunity for definite, 
individual, and co-operative praying.” 
— Flake . 

(4) Securing denominational alignment . Every 
Sunday School ought to teach the Bible and all the 
enterprises fostered by the denomination. Great 
causes like Missions, Christian Education and Or¬ 
phanage work ought to be kept constantly before 
all the people, and especially before children and 
young people while they are getting a vision of life 
and its duties and responsibilities. The instruc¬ 
tion then becomes concrete and appeals to people. 

Sunday-school Boards and the editors of Sunday- 
school lessons prepare special programs for present¬ 
ing these causes. Every superintendent ought to 
see that these claims are presented to his school. 
It is unnecessary to argue the value of “ Special 
Days ” in the Sunday School. Their value, if 
properly observed, is unquestioned. 

III. PLANNING HIS PKOGKAM 

An entire subsequent chapter is given to “ The 
Sunday School in Session.” Of course this in¬ 
volves the planning and rendering of the program, 
but these matters are of such vital importance it 
is worth while to repeat some things if by so doing 
the Sunday School can be made attractive and 
effective. 

The superintendent ought never go to Sunday 
School until he knows “ what is to be done, who 


56 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


will do it and when it will be done.” This means 
he must plan during the week. If possible write 
his plans so that they may be carried out. Definite 
things ought to be in mind as he plans: 

(1) The purpose should always include the 
proper teaching of the lesson. That is the main 
work in hand. Every lesson has a leading truth. 
The program that does not provide for this with 
other truths to be taught is, in a measure, a failure. 
The songs, the prayers, the Scripture reading— 
everything should plan for this. 

It is not enough for the bare facts to be learned. 
Some one has said that teaching is “ causing an¬ 
other to know,” but the Sunday-school teacher 
ought to “ cause another to know, to feel and to 
do.” For this to be achieved the atmosphere must 
be such that there will be real worship during the 
session of the school. 

The superintendent is going to have his school 
so well organized that in the classes other people 
will be at work besides the teachers. Training for 
service will always be an objective in his programs. 
He will train them “ in singing special songs, solos, 
duets, quartets and class songs, in quoting Scrip¬ 
ture, and reciting and relating Bible incidents.” 

The program is going to entertain those who go. 
This is not the most important thing, but a very 
essential one. See that something attractive is in 
every program. 

(2) Teaching and using the people must al- 


t 


THE SUPERINTENDENT 57 

ways be in mind as the program is planned. A 
program is worthless if people are not there to 
render it and others to enjoy and profit by it. 
This major work of enlistment should always be 
considered. It may be wise for the busy superin¬ 
tendent to entrust this specific task to his associate 
superintendent. 

(3) When? If the superintendent waits until 
Sunday morning to plan his program it will not 
be done. General plans should be made ahead so 
that assignments may be made to individuals and 
classes one to three weeks ahead. The amount of 
time necessary for the planning varies. 

If the superintendent has “ The Sunday-school 
Builder ” or some other good magazine similar to 
it, he will only have to adapt a well-prepared pro¬ 
gram to the size and needs of his school. If all 
our superintendents would set aside the necessary 
time each week for planning their programs, thou¬ 
sands of our Sunday Schools would be trans¬ 
formed. 

IV. SUNDAY MORNING 

That is the time when all the work of officers, 
teachers and pupils during the week must count for 
success or failure, and just one man—the superin¬ 
tendent—is in charge to determine which it 
shall be. 

The superintendent will be on hand ahead of 
time. “ He will see that everything is ready; that 
all officers and teachers are in their places; that 


58 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SGHOOL 


those who are on the program are present. He will 
open the school on time and run it according to his 
program and close on time. His program is before 
him; he knows his lesson; he knows he knows; the 
school knows he knows; there is perfect order; the 
superintendent himself is orderly. He leads from 
one point to the next with just the right word. No 
clanging of hell trying to get order; no asking the 
chorister what he thinks the next song will he; no 
page-to-page canvass of the song book trying to find 
something ‘ familiar ’ to the children. The super¬ 
intendent has a program. There is business going 
on—the King’s business.”— Flake. 

V. LOOKING AHEAD 

When the school closes Sunday morning the 
superintendent should not think his task is done. 
One week’s work of his task is done, but another 
week is just beginning. He must keep the things 
of that week in mind—all the things he did last 
week, but that is not enough. He must have an 
annual program involving some general permanent 
policies. He must remember some of the things 
he must do and get others to do. 

Here are some things he must learn and get his 
co-workers to learn: 

How to reach the unreached. 

What to do with them when reached. 

How to bring unity in purpose and action 
among his workers. 


THE SUPERINTENDENT 


59 


How to make his workers efficient. 

How to have a good program every Sunday. 
How to keep his Sunday-school records. 

How to win the lost to Christ. 

RESTATEMENT FOR REVIEW AND EXAMINATION 

Place of Officers in all Organizations 

1. The Superintendent’s Personality 

(1) Executive ability. 

(2) Information. 

( 3 ) Common sense. 

(4) Aggressiveness. 

(5) A passion for souls. 

2. Some General Duties 

(1) Unifying the workers. 

(2) Training the workers. 

(3) Meeting the teachers. 

(4) Securing denominational alignment. 

3. Planning His Program 

0) Have definite purposes in view: 

(a) Real teaching, (b) worship, (c) train¬ 
ing, (d) entertainment. 

(2) Reach and hold the people. 

(3) Take time for it. 

4. Sunday Morning 

(1) Open and close on time. 

(2) Carry out the program. 


V 


GENERAL OFFICERS—THE PASTOR AND 

* OTHERS 


T HE superintendent who does not have a 
true yoke fellow in the person of his 
pastor is always handicapped. One is the 
executive leader and the other the inspirational 
leader, but both must lead. 

Dr. W. E. Hatcher in that excellent book, “ The 
Pastor and the Sunday School,” gives these special 
words to the country pastor: “ For him I cherish 
a reverential affection. He stands at the fountain 
from whence flows the purest material that goes to 
make up the Christian civilization, and which is 
largely the conservative force in our city churches. 
Above all others he ought to be a living and ani¬ 
mating force in his little school. The coming of 
the pastor ought to be the sunlight of heaven to 
that school. The smile on his face, the cordial 
handshake, his buoyant words, his whole person¬ 
ality, next to the Holy Spirit, ought to constitute 
the crowning glory of the school.” 

The pastor in many country Sunday Schools is 
present only once a month, and many pastors seem 

to think this precludes any definite activity. The 

60 


THE PASTOR AND OTHERS 


61 


reverse of this is true. The very fact that he can¬ 
not be there every Sunday puts on him the responsi¬ 
bility of doing his very best when he is there. He 
ought to have a conference with the officers and 
teachers every time he goes. This can be done 
Saturday night, Sunday morning before Sunday 
School, or Sunday afternoon. This vital touch 
gives unity, vision and enthusiasm to the workers. 

The success of a pastor’s ministry is largely 
bound up with the success of his Sunday School. 
If he brings his Sunday School to a high degree of 
efficiency he will find in all church activities real 
success. Evangelism will mark his ministry. 
Trained men and women will be found to do all 
kinds of work. There will be loyalty to all worth¬ 
while enterprises. 

The attitude of the pastor will largely determine 
the kind of a school he will have. 

(1) The hostile pastor will have no school at 
all. Note any denomination that is hostile to the 
modern Sunday School and you will find it dying. 
The same thing is true of any local church. Hos¬ 
tile pastors are rapidly diminishing in number and 
cannot too soon disappear altogether. 

(2) The indifferent pastor will have an ineffi¬ 
cient Sunday School. It is painful to know how 
many of these we have. Over twenty-five per cent 
of country churches have no Sunday Schools at all. 
Their pastors are hostile or indifferent. Then 
again this indifferent class allow their schools to 


62 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


close for several months in the winter time. 

(3) Another kind is the ignorant pastor. He 
may not be ignorant of the Bible and of men and 
things, but he is ignorant of the claims and methods 
of the modern Sunday School. He has read no 
recent books on the Sunday School. He attends no 
institutes, conventions and assemblies. He simply 
does not know how to put life into his Sunday 
School, and of course he cannot do what he does 
not know how to do. 

(4) The co-operative and sympathetic pastor is 
the one who is going to show that he is a real leader 
in the Sunday School. He will not be officious on 
Sunday morning, for that is not where he does his 
best work, but he will be present on time. He will 
give a hearty welcome to every one. He will study 
conditions and needs, and in the right way and in 
the right place he will make suggestions to each 
worker or all together, as to how to meet these con¬ 
ditions and needs. He will not, in the presence of 
the pupils, correct an error made by a teacher. 

The pastor will give every encouragement pos¬ 
sible to the school as a whole and at the preaching 
hour will present the claims of the Sunday School 
to the entire congregation. At least once a year he 
ought to preach on the place of teaching in the 
work of the church. The best time for this is im¬ 
mediately after the officers and teachers have been 
elected for the ensuing year. He can well afford 
to have them stand before the congregation and ask 


THE PASTOR AND OTHERS 


63 


the people to co-operate with them in every way 
possible. 

Teacher training must be carried on in every 
church that really measures up to its duty in its 
Sunday School. The pastor is dean of the faculty. 
He is the teacher of the teachers. He may not be 
able to be present every time they meet, but once 
or twice a month he can meet them, give them such 
instruction as he can, find out what they have done 
and encourage them in what they are doing. 

A ;pastor with vision and intelligence can do 
about what he wishes in the Sunday School. A 
case in point is that of a young man who was just 
from college. He took the course in Sunday-school 
pedagogy in the college. He became pastor of a 
country church established in 1727. It had once- 
a-month preaching in an old one-room church build¬ 
ing. There were nearly 300 members and a Sun¬ 
day School of sixty, and this a mere drag. He 
began to use his vision of what a Sunday School 
ought to be. In three years the church had gone 
to full time preaching, had built a splendid build¬ 
ing with nine classrooms and an elegant audi¬ 
torium. The Sunday School reached the Standard 
of Excellence and the entire church was throbbing 
with life and power. 

Another is even more striking. It was a very 
weak church in membership, in wealth and general 
culture. The pastor began his Teacher-Training 
class, both in Normal study and a Reading Course. 


64 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


Some classrooms were soon built and later others 
were added. The school grew to be practically 
perfect in reaching its constituency. A recent let¬ 
ter in general correspondence gives these facts: 

“ My census shows that in this community (four 
miles every way) there are 253 who are either 
Baptists, prefer the Baptist Sunday School, or else 
have no preference. This includes Cradle Roll 
also. Our Sunday-school roll is now 298, made up 
thus: Main school 199, Cradle Roll 30, Home De¬ 
partment 69. l T ou wonder how we can make 298 
out of 253. Easy. Our Sunday School is just the 

livest thing in.county, and we have 

people come from other communities here who 
leave their own denomination to come.” 

The school has reached a high degree of excel¬ 
lence and maintained it for four years, and the 
church has gone from once-a-month preaching to 
full time. These cases could be multiplied again 
and again. 

2. The Associate Superintendent. This is a 
new name to many. This officer is often called as¬ 
sistant superintendent, but he does not assist. He 
only takes the place of the superintendent in his 
absence. An assistant is a subordinate; an asso¬ 
ciate is a co-ordinate. We need a man here who 
has some real duties of his own every week, whether 
the superintendent is present or absent. Of course 
he serves when the superintendent is absent. 

There are many things he can do, but possibly 



THE PASTOR AND OTHERS 


65 


the most helpful service is as superintendent of 
membership. In other words, his specific duty is 
to see that every one is won for the Sunday School 
and kept there. To do this he should be in charge 
of the religious census and the follow-up canvass. 
He ought to have a complete record of the constitu¬ 
ency of the Sunday School, and of course this 
means of each class. He ought to keep in close 
touch with what is being done by each teacher in 
bringing in the unreached. He ought to keep well 
informed regarding the absentees. 

Assuming these responsibilities in no way tres¬ 
pass upon the duties of the superintendent. He 
only becomes an active co-worker in the matter of 
membership. He may also assume other duties 
agreed upon in the workers’ Conference. 

3. The Secretary keeps the records. The Six- 
Point Record System has already been commended. 
The country Sunday School and every class in it 
can easily and effectively use this system, using 
class books rather than cards. As a matter of Sun¬ 
day-school history, these records ought to be care¬ 
fully kept, but it is unnecessary to read the full 
record every Sunday. 

The secretary ought to have a ruled blackboard 
or a record board with movable letters and figures 
for giving a summary of the report. The people 
can remember a few outstanding facts, but not the 
details of what happens every Sunday. 

The Secretary will order the literature. This 


66 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 

ought to be done the first of the last month of each 
quarter. When it arrives he should turn it over 
to the librarian, who will distribute it. 

4. The Treasurer handles the money of the 
school. He ought to be able to do more than merely 
receive and disburse money. He should really he 
thoroughly familiar with every interest fostered by* 
the Sunday School. Great causes like Missions, 
Orphanages and Christian Education, are pre¬ 
sented in special programs. If the treasurer is 
thoroughly informed on these matters he can really 
become a superintendent of Missions and Benefi¬ 
cence in presenting the claims of these objects. 

In many very small schools the work of secre¬ 
tary and treasurer may he done by one person. 

5. The Director of Music leads the singing. 
Great emphasis should he put on this feature of 
the work. In a well-ordered Sunday School about 
one-fourth of a session is used in singing. The 
business of the director is to see that this feature 
is duly magnified and dignified. The right kind of 
singing has a fine educational value, but more im¬ 
portant than this, it is worshipful. It cannot he 
either educational or worshipful unless the right 
spirit or atmosphere is created. No officer of the 
Sunday School can he more useful than the one 
who can train the school in song and have rendered 
the right kind of singing. 

It will he necessary to have a plenty of the right 
kind of song books and a definite time for practice, 


THE PASTOR AND OTHERS 


67 


and this time ought not to he during the Sunday- 
school hour. If there is not preaching every Sun¬ 
day a half hour immediately after Sunday School 
can be used to learn the new songs. This will not 
be necessary more than once a month. Before 
Sunday the director ought to select his songs. Let 
him know the lesson, and, as far as possible, use 
songs appropriate to the lesson. He ought to give 
the number of these songs to the superintendent 
before the Sunday School opens, for it is the lat¬ 
ter’s business to announce them. 

6. The Organist or Pianist will co-operate in 
every way possible with the director. Both of 
these ought to be always on time, for the Sunday 
School cannot open right without them. She 
should see that the instrument is kept tuned, of 
course at the expense of the Sunday School. 

7. The Librarian should be elected whether 
there is a library of books or not. The secretary 
will turn over to him all the literature. There 
should be a suitable place to keep this. He will 
keep here all papers and periodicals that are weekly 
or monthly. He will have charge of the song books 
and Bibles owned by the Sunday School. These 
should be distributed before the Sunday School 
opens and taken up again at the close. It may be 
possible to start a library of books for the school. 
There certainly should be ten to twenty-five vol¬ 
umes in a “ Workers’ Library'’ for the officers and 
teachers. If these good people are willing to do 


68 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 

the work of the school, certainly the church ought 
to furnish them the right kind of tools with which 

to work. 

8. Departmental Superintendents. So few 
country Sunday Schools are large enough to have 
departmental organization that these officers are 
not discussed here. There are entire books given 
to these subjects. If your school has four or more 
classes in any department, secure the book on such 
a department and organize it on the basis of agreed 
upon plans. 

RESTATEMENT FOR REVIEW 

1. The Pastor—Inspirational Leader 

(1) His attitude—hostile, indifferent, ignorant, 

co-operative. 

(2) Trains his officers and teachers. 

(3) Can do what he wants to do. 

2. The Associate Superintendent—Enlarges 

Membership 

3. The Secretary—Keeps Records 

4. The Treasurer—Handles Money 

5. Director of Music—Trains and Develops in 

Song 

6. Organist — Co-operates with Director 

7 . The Librarian—Cares for Boohs and 

Literature 


VI 


ELEMENTARY CLASSES AND 
DEPARTMENTS 

T HE general organization of a Sunday 
School has already been discussed, and 
plans for reaching the people have been 
studied. In every school there are three groups of 
people: the children, the teen age, the adults. It 
is now well to study the organization and activi¬ 
ties of each of the groups. This is done under 
the subjects “ Elementary Classes,” “ Advanced 
Classes ” and “ Organization for Senior and Adult 
Classes.” 

Closer study will reveal the fact that children 
from mother’s arms to the teen age naturally fall 
into four groups. First, the baby in the home, then 
children of pre-school age, children of early public 
school age, and children of later school years. 
These children have different characteristics and 
cannot he taught alike. Recognizing the fact that 
God has graded them, let us accept His workman¬ 
ship and provide for them according to their needs. 

They are grouped as follows: 

69 


70 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


I. ORGANIZATION 


Cradle Roll.Birth to 3 years 

Beginners.4 and 5 years 

Primaries.. . 6, 7 and 8 years 

Juniors.9,10, 11 and 12 years 


1. The Cradle Roll is the link which binds the 
home and church school together. The first four 
years of a child’s life are the most impressionable 
and the most important. Memories of these years 
will always pull either upwards or downward. 
Since this is true, the home and church should 
work together in throwing around the child an at¬ 
mosphere of religious nurture and Christian train¬ 
ing. Through the Cradle Roll parents feel a 
deeper responsibility concerning the spiritual 
training of their children. In many cases the 
home has been won to Christ through the instru¬ 
mentality of the Cradle Roll. The Cradle Roll 
worker can put the pastor in sympathetic touch 
with the home, furnish the teacher of smallest chil¬ 
dren a list of those whom she may expect in her 
class. The possibilities of the work are almost 
limitless. It can mean child study, child welfare, 
mother training, evangelism, and everything. 

2. The Beginners Class is usually composed of 
children four and five years of age, but in some 
cases other children will belong to this class also. 
In many homes everybody goes to Sunday School. 
The children who are still on the Cradle Roll, but 






ELEMENTARY DEPARTMENTS 

J 


71 


who attend Sunday School may he grouped in the 
Beginners Class, and the non-reading six-year-old 
children may remain in the class. These little chil¬ 
dren come to us from their home world restless, de¬ 
pendent, timid, self-centered, with attention flit¬ 
ting where curiosity leads, but loving and trustful. 
They come with few impressions on their minds, 
and it is our blessed privilege to make impressions 
which will endure through time and eternity. 

3. The Primary Class is composed of children 
six, seven and eight years of age. If there are 
children enough there should he a class for each 
age. These children come to us with most of the 
characteristics of the beginners, and with some new 
ones. They are growing in mind and in body, and 
are very active. They are developing independence 
and self-confidence. School life has broadened 
their world, ideals are being formed and habits 
fixed. We should meet them with loving sympathy 
and be prepared to build into their lives just the 
things they need. 

4. The Junior Classes are composed of hoys 
and girls nine, ten, eleven and twelve years of age. 
There should he at least two classes of these ages, 
one for boys and one for girls. If it is possible 
to have more classes, group the younger hoys and 
older boys, younger girls and older girls. Juniors 
are like tornadoes or steam engines or anything 
else that suggests uncurbed energy. The Junior 
is the animated question mark. He wants to know 


72 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


all the five “ W’s ”—who ? what ? where ? when ? 
why? Shall we expect to teach them as if they 
were in that class of grandfathers? Or shall we 
provide for them to be “ doers ” and not “ hearers ” 
only ? This is the time of the greatest evangelistic 
opportunity and we must make conditions favour¬ 
able to save a soul plus a life. 

5. Teachers and Helpers. There should be a 
Cradle Roll superintendent whose duty it is to seek 
out, enroll, visit and keep in touch with the babies 
of the community, gathering them into the school 
when they are old enough to enter. She should 
have as many helpers or visitors as her work 
demands. 

There should be a teacher for each class who is 
to remain in charge of that grade from year to 
year, that through study and practice she may be¬ 
come expert in teaching pupils of that age. If the 
regular teacher is experienced and capable, young 
Christian girls could serve as substitute teachers 
and helpers. 

II. EQUIPMENT 

Where is the child’s place in the Sunday School ? 
Is it on a high bench where, in spite of the needles 
and pins in his dangling feet or his tired back, he 
is expected to sit still? Or will we make as good 
preparation for his religious training as we, as 
citizens, are making for his intellectual training in 
our public schools ? 


ELEMENTARY DEPARTMENTS 


73 


1. For the Cradle Roll we need a wall roll on 
which the names of the babies are enrolled. This 
roll may be a large heart with a tiny heart attached 
for each new name or a miniature cradle or some¬ 
thing else suitable. The only requirement is that 
it be beautiful and dainty. Membership certifi¬ 
cates for the home, birthday cards, a record book, 
which is to he kept by the month rather than alpha¬ 
betically, and promotion certificates constitute the 
needed equipment. 

2. For the Beginners and Primaries. “ Round¬ 
eyed, quick to hear and eager to touch, he is busy 
absorbing the world about him,” so every possible 
distraction of sight and sound and physical dis¬ 
comfort must be shut out, that the teacher may 
have full opportunity to teach him the beautiful 
stories of God’s love and care. To accomplish this 
a large separate room is needed, with solid walls, 
so that the children can sing their songs and not 
disturb other classes of the school. 

Comfortable seating is the second requirement. 
Small chairs about ten inches high for Beginners 
and twelve inches for the Primaries should be 
secured. A blackboard, wall hooks for hats and 
wraps, pictures hung low, a table with a locked 
drawer for lesson supplies, a vase for flowers and 
a piano or organ are essentials to do the best work. 

If it is not possible, at present, to have the 
separate rooms, keep the ideal in mind and pro¬ 
vide, as a temporary arrangement, at least a cur- 


74 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


tained corner. Have the curtains of one color. 
Dark brown or soft green or unbleached domestic 
sheeting are suitable. If preferred, folding 
screens may be used. 

When chairs are not obtainable, have benches 
made the right height and width for the children. 
These should be arranged in a quadrangle, away 
from the wall, so the teacher can control the 
situation, inspect the handwork, and the children 
can have space for marching. 

The child is impressionable, and all that he sees 
becomes a part of him. Shall we not seek to have 
his surroundings teach the beauty and holiness of 
religion ? 

3. For the Juniors. A separate room should 
be provided for the Junior classes also. Each class 
should be seated in chairs with the teachers around 
a long table on which are laid the blackboard and 
the maps. On the table each pupil should have his 
notebook and pencil and his Bible. 

If not in a separate room, all the Junior classes 
should be seated in the same part of the Sunday- 
school room with screens or curtains around all the 
classes and between each class. Boards hinged to 
the backs of the benches may serve for the pupil 
to lay his material for writing outlines and 
answers, and for drawing maps. Such work 
should be frequently done. 

It is impossible to do the best work without 
separate rooms. Write your denominational Board 


ELEMENTARY DEPARTMENTS 


75 


for economical plans for remodeling a one-room 
church building to meet the needs and requirements 
of the children. They are our hope for the future. 
Surely they deserve the very best we can provide 
for them. 

III. MATERIAL 

The International Lesson System provides both 
for a uniform and a graded system of lessons. Any 
Sunday-school Board issues lesson helps for each 
course of study. While many schools are con¬ 
tinuing to use the uniform lessons which have 
been made more adequate by the addition of sup¬ 
plemental memory work in the back of the quar¬ 
terlies, an increasing number of schools are put¬ 
ting in the graded series of lessons, especially in 
the Beginners and Primary classes, because the 
Bible material of these lessons is chosen to suit 
the spiritual needs of little children in each stage 
of development. It can be assimilated at each par¬ 
ticular period, and thus the foundation for strong 
Christian character is laid. 

The use of the Beginners and Primary graded 
course for even the smallest school because it is well 
adapted to the understanding of little children. 
Use for one year the first-year Beginners lessons, 
alternate the next year with first-year Primary 
lessons for the smallest children, and use the second- 
year Primary lessons, followed by third-year Pri¬ 
mary lessons, for the class in such a school. Large 


76 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


pictures to match the lesson stories may be or¬ 
dered also. 

Where it is not possible to have more than two 
classes of Juniors, we recommend the continuance 
of the uniform lessons with emphasis on drilling 
each week on the additional memory work in the 
back of the quarterlies. This can be made the 
basis for promotion with honour. 

Another requisite is an Improved Record Book. 
In addition to space on each page for all necessary 
information about the pupil, provision should be 
made to grade each one according to the six-point 
record system. For Beginners and Primaries it 
should be adapted to four points: attendance, on 
time, offering and memory verse. For Juniors two 
more points should be added: bringing Bible and 
attendance at the last preaching service. This sys¬ 
tem of records will do much for the efficiency of 
the Sunday School. 


IV. plans 

We have studied organization, equipment and 
material for the children’s department of the Sun¬ 
day School, but in every undertaking it is neces¬ 
sary to “ plan your work and then work your plan.” 
Let us now think together of some plans for these 
classes. 

1. Cradle Boll. The Cradle Roll worker should 
make this her first and highest work. She should 
be a loving, tactful, consecrated woman, for it is 


ELEMENTARY DEPARTMENTS 


77 


the personal touch that counts in this work. The 
psychological moment for securing a baby for the 
Cradle Roll is before his age can be reckoned in 
months or even weeks, for it is gratifying to par¬ 
ents to feel that their child’s advent is widely 
heralded. Likewise, the psychological moment for 
a birthday call or card is on a baby’s birthday— 
not a day or two after. 

Annual Cradle Roll Day comes in May or June. 
Fathers and mothers have reserved seats in response 
to the dainty invitations which have been sent out 
during the week. The church should be decorated 
with flowers and a well-planned program presented. 
For further information and plans see Cradle Roll 
leaflet. 

2. For Beginners and Primaries. The entire 
session for these classes should be in their separate 
rooms with a program planned. Give to the chil¬ 
dren a service of worship and instruction which is 
adapted to their needs. Life and freshness may 
be added by making use of the changing seasons 
and special days. Make use of their interest in 
home and nature, school and friends. 

The opening exercises might be conducted with 
the Beginners and Primary classes together, but 
separate them for the lesson period. 

3. Juniors want to be doing something all the 
time. The teacher who succeeds will recognize 
this characteristic and keep their ears, eyes and 
hands busy. This is the golden memory period of 


78 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


/ 


life. Store the mind with choice passages from 
God’s word, drill in concert and individually. For¬ 
tify against later temptations by hiding the Word 
in their hearts. 

This is the period of greatest evangelistic op¬ 
portunity, and every effort should be directed 
toward winning them to Christ before they leave 
the Junior classes. 

Class organization may begin in a very limited 
way with the Juniors. The management should be 
in the hands of the teacher and the activities of the 
class directed by him. 

4. General. As a means to rally interest on 
the part of both children and adults, an annual 
Children’s Day should he observed. 

In order to keep the school graded, it is neces¬ 
sary to observe an annual Promotion Day, which 
comes the last Sunday in September. The Juniors 
who are thirteen are promoted to the Intermediate 
classes; the Primaries who are nine are promoted 
to the Junior classes; the Beginners who are six 
are promoted to the Primary and the babies who 
are four are promoted to the Beginners class. 

Teachers of childhood have the greatest oppor¬ 
tunity in the world. How important then that they 
should have skilled hands and warm hearts. Sun¬ 
day-school teachers should study in order to be 
“ workmen that need not to he ashamed.” To this 
end each teacher should have a normal course 
diploma and he working toward that goal. 


ELEMENTARY DEPARTMENTS 


79 


Special study should be given to plans and 
programs for Cradle Roll, Beginners and Primary 
workers and to manuals which deal specially with 
work among Juniors. God is giving to the teach¬ 
ers of children the sacred privilege of helping Him 
fashion immortal souls for eternal life. 

“ More than our best we cannot give; 

Less than our best we dare not give.” 

RESTATEMENT FOR REVIEW AND EXAMINATION 

I. Organization 

1. Pupils: 

(1) Cradle Roll, (2) Beginners, (3) Prima¬ 
ries, (4) Juniors. 

2. Teachers and Helpers. 

II. Equipment 

1. Cradle Roll: 

(1) Wall roll, (2) Membership certificate, 

(3) Birthday cards, (4) Record Book, 
(5) Promotion certificates. 

2. Beginners and Primaries: 

(1) Separate room or curtained corner, (2) 
Chairs or small benches. 

3. Juniors: 

(1) Separate room or curtained section, (2) 
Tables or hinged hoards, (3) Black¬ 
boards and maps. 

III. Material 

(1) Uniform or graded lessons, (2) Teacher's 
book, (3) Bible stories and pictures, 

(4) Record books. 


80 


r A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


IV. Plans 

1. Cradle Roll: 

(1) Sunday morning in Beginners Class, (2) 
Birthday cards, (3) Baby Day an¬ 
nually. 

2. Beginners and Primaries: 

A suitable program. 

3. Juniors: 

Bible drills, map studies, memory work, evan¬ 
gelism, class organization. 

4. General: 

Children’s Day, Promotion Day, Teacher’s 
Training. 


VII 



ADVANCED CLASSES AND 
DEPARTMENTS 

DVANCED classes include all classes or 
departments above the Juniors. All now 
know the proper groupings, but as a re¬ 
view they are named once more: 

Intermediates— 13 to 16 years of age. 

Seniors or Young People—17 to 24 years of age. 

Adults—25 years and over. 

Home Department for those who cannot, or will 
not, go to Sunday School. 

In large Sunday Schools each of these groups 
will need complete departmental organization, but 
so few country Sunday Schools are large that no 
discussion of such organization is given here. 


I. OFFICERS 

It is doubtful whether we need any general offi¬ 
cers. Every class ought to be organized. There 
will be two or three officers in each Intermediate 
class and five to eight in each Senior and Adult 
class. With these in close touch with the general 
officers of the Sunday School there ought not to be 
any lack of efficiency because enough people are 
not at work. 

The work of class officers will be discussed in the 

next chapter. There really ought to be some uni- 

81 


82 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


fication of effort in solving tlie problems in these 
classes. The Associate Superintendent could do 
this if the work is assigned to him. He takes on 
no new office, but is given a real task to do. There 
is no danger here of “ crossing the wires ” or get¬ 
ting too much machinery. 

If the general Superintendent will get this co¬ 
operation from his associate among the advanced 
classes and similar co-operation from some real 
leader among the teachers of elementary classes, 
he ought to meet every need of general adminis¬ 
tration in any country Sunday School. 

II. THE INTERMEDIATES 

The ages of this department are thirteen to six¬ 
teen years. Some one has said “ this department 
has earned for itself the title, 6 The Department 
with a Hole in it,’ and through that hole bright 
boys and girls have been dropped in multitudes.” 
Recently, the author was in a village Sunday 
School. Only one Intermediate boy was present, 
and he was the pastor’s son. Inquiry was made 
regarding this condition. The general opinion 
was that there were no boys in the village of this 
age. A census taken that afternoon showed fifteen 
other boys of Intermediate age who logically be¬ 
longed to that Sunday School. 

Most Sunday Schools are disposed to neglect 
these boys and girls. They either plan for them 
to remain with the Juniors or go up with the 


ADVANCED DEPARTMENTS 


83 


Seniors. They do not fit in either place, and the 
result is they quit Sunday School. The prefix 
“ inter ” means between, and in this case they are 
in the zone between childhood and manhood and 
womanhood. They know this, but many Sunday- 
school officers and teachers have forgotten it. In 
not having special classes for them, Sunday Schools 
are “ freezing them out.” 

By all means make a place for them. They are 
worth saving for the Sunday Schools and churches. 
If possible separate the boys and girls in the 
classes. At this age of rapid growth they are awk¬ 
ward, self-conscious, and timid. They disdain the 
Juniors because they are smaller. They cannot 
fit into Senior classes because of great difference in 
characteristics and needs. 

1. Class organization is begun with Intermedi¬ 
ates, but is not so extensive and complete as with 
Seniors and Adults: 

(1) The 'president presides at the session of the 
class, both on Sundays and at any week day ses¬ 
sions. He plans such activities as seem likely to 
bring blessings to the class. These activities are 
both social and religious. There may be a vice- 
president to act in the place of the president in his 
absence. 

(2) A secretary-treasurer keeps the records of 
the class and receives and disburses all money col¬ 
lected in the class. If the Six-Point Record Sys¬ 
tem is used he marks each member of the class on 


84 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


attendance, punctuality, Bible bringing, studied 
lesson, offering and preaching attendance. Of 
course the report is made to the Secretary of the 
Sunday School. 

2. Class schemes are offered to all Intermediate 
classes. These boys and girls had rather be called 
by a name than a class member. Besides a name 
they want a class pin, colors, motto, aim, verse and 
song. They can also buy class pennants with their 
name. Several schemes are offered. Others can be 
secured by writing any Sunday-school Supply house. 

(1) Bor Boys: 

Name: Volunteer Band. 

Colours: Bed, white, blue and gold. 

Motto: “ Know; give; go. 5 

Aim: To serve Him in needy places. 

Verse: “ Here am I, send me.” 

Song: “ Til be a Volunteer,” or 



V 


“ Here am I, send 
(Isaiah 6: 8.) 


me. 





Name: 
Colours: 
Motto: 

Aim: 


Verse: 

Song: 


OvERCOMERS. 

Light blue, green and gold. 

“ Let Us Go Up at Once.”— 
(Num. 14:30.) 

To help one another overcome 
temptation. 

“ Take the shield of faith.”— 
(Eph. 6:16.) 

“ Loyalty to Christ.” 


ADVANCED DEPARTMENTS 


85 





Name: 

Gideons. 

Colours: 

White, gold and dark blue. 

Motto: 

“ Every man in his place.” 

Yell: 

“ The sword of the Lord and of 
Gideon.” 

Aim: 

To he in place, on time, Bible 
in hand, for service. 

Verse: 

“ Let your light so shine.”— 
(Matt. 5:16.) 

Song: 

“ Stand Up for Jesus.” 

Girls: 

Name: 

True Blue Girls. 

Colours: 

Blue, red and gold. 

Motto: 

“ Called, Chosen, Faithful.” 

Aim: 

To be true witnesses. 

Verse: 

“ I have chosen you that ye 
bring forth fruit.”—(John 
15: 16.) 

Song: 

“ Who is on the Lord’s side ? ” 

Name: 

Always-ready Class. 

Colours: 

White and yellow. 

Motto: 

“ Those that were ready went 
in.” 

Aim: 

To enter every open door of 
service. 

Verse: 

“ I say unto you, ‘ Watch.’ ” 

Song: 

“ When Jesus Comes to Reward 
His Servants.” 


8G 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


Name: Daughters of Ruth. 

Colours: Light blue and gold. 

Motto: “ Working or gleaning, as He 
bids.’ 7 

Aim: To do cheerfully the duty of 

to-day, however humble. 
Verse: “ Where hast thou gleaned to¬ 

day?”—(Ruth 2:1.) 

Song: 11 Bringing in the Sheaves.” 

Cuts of Class Pins are here used by courtesy of the Baptist 

S. S. Board. 

3. Class activities and aims should be duly em¬ 
phasized. These boys and girls can do things. If 
a Sunday School fails to give them an opportunity 
they will lose interest. Here are just a few things 
they can do: Support an orphan, pay salary of a 
Bible woman in foreign lands, correspond with a 
foreign missionary, become members of a mission 
study class, study Sunday-school teacher-training 
books. 

Every class should aim to reach some class stand¬ 
ard. Y r ou can get a copy from any Sunday-school 
Board. A few things to be aimed at are: The 
class properly graded, the classes not too large— 
not over fifteen—a separate classroom, a good 
record system, a teacher well trained for work, an 
offering every Sunday for objects fostered by the 
school. 

4. The teacher is the real source of power in 
an Intermediate class, and yet more teachers fail 




ADVANCED DEPARTMENTS 


87 


in this department than in any other. The boys 
of the class are often said to be “ climbing fool’s 
hill.” The girls are at the “ giggling age.” The 
“ bigoty ” hoys and the “ silly ” girls cause many 
teachers to become discouraged and quit. This is 
the real crisis in most lives. The teachers, men 
for boys and women for girls, ought to study ado¬ 
lescence till they know it and then with prayer and 
work save the big boys and girls for the Sunday 
School. 

III. SENIORS AND ADULTS 

The needs of these two departments are so nearly 
alike that practically all books on organized class 
work discuss them together. Work for enlisting 
and utilizing men and women in Sunday School is 
of recent origin. The modern Sunday School be¬ 
gan 140 years ago. For nearly a century it was 
almost exclusively for children. Prior to thirty 
years ago no extensive effort was made to get men 
and women into the Sunday School. The real move¬ 
ment in this direction is barely fifteen years old. 

Relatively very few men and women go to Sun¬ 
day School. Take a religious census in almost any 
territory and you will find Seniors- and Adults 
unenlisted in Sunday School twice as numerous as 
in all other departments. This condition is even 
more marked in country Sunday Schools. The 
reason for this is the poor organization and equip¬ 
ment in these schools. Men and women “ do 


88 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


things ” all the week, and if they go to Sunday 
School and find “ nothing doing ” they will not re¬ 
turn. The fact is they themselves are to blame for 
these conditions. Their Sunday Schools are just 
as good as they make them. 

1. Church members have a special call in such 
conditions. No one else is responsible for any 
failure in a church. Adequate plans for class ac¬ 
tivities are offered, and literature is available suffi¬ 
cient for all needs. 

A careful survey will show barely thirty per cent 
of the church members in Sunday School. There 
is a special call to the unenlisted. Church mem¬ 
bers ought to go to Sunday School for two reasons: 

(1) For what the Sunday School will do for 
them. It will ally them with the teaching function 
of their church and in this give them a plan of 
systematic Bible study which every one needs in 
addition to his devotional Bible reading. It will 
give them vision in the Lord’s work and furnish 
them training in all kinds of Christian service. A 
careful study of almost any church will reveal the 
fact that the real workers received their Bible 
knowledge in the Sunday School. It will furnish 
the finest of Christian fellowship and an oppor¬ 
tunity for public worship every Sunday in those 
churches that have preaching only once or twice a 
month. Parents will find the Sunday School a 
valuable help in the religious training of their 
children. 


ADVANCED DEPARTMENTS 


89 


t 


(2) For what they can do for the Sunday 
School . Practically everything in a Sunday School 
must he done by the church members. A suitable 
building and equipment must be provided. The 
wisdom and counsel necessary for a proper conduct¬ 
ing of the Sunday School must come from church 
members. If the Sunday School is conducted in a 
businesslike way church members must do it. Of 
course all officers and teachers must come from 
this source, and if souls are won church members 
must be the winners. Why should a few and not 
all be in this work? 

2. Organized classes constitute the only ef¬ 
fective way to reach and hold men and women in 
the Sunday School. These people are busy all the 
week. They already know much of the Bible. 
Something must be done to relate this knowledge 
to their lives. The activities of a well organized 
class will meet this situation. The matter will be 
discussed in the next chapter. 

IV. THE HOME DEPARTMENT 

The Home Department is for people who can¬ 
not or will not go to Sunday School. They are the 
“ shut-ins ” and “ stay-outs.” This includes 
mothers with small children and other home cares, 
sick people, those infirm on account of age, and a 
few with no conveyance for travel who live too far 
from the Sunday School to walk. Thousands of 
such people in the country are in full sympathy 


90 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


with the Sunday School and would attend but for 
physical conditions named above. Such people are 
invited to become members by agreeing to study 
the lesson at least thirty minutes a week. 

The officers of a Home Department are a super¬ 
intendent and visitors. The former is in charge, 
and calls to his aid as many co-workers as are 
needed. Of course every member of the local 
church ought to he invited to join the main school 
or this department. Then all others in the com¬ 
munity not already in some Sunday School belong 
to the constituency of the Home Department. A 
religious census is the best way to get this infor¬ 
mation. 

After the enrollment of the department is com¬ 
plete the organization can he perfected. The su¬ 
perintendent can also act as a visitor. He will 
select enough visitors not to make the work too 
heavy for any worker. Never give a visitor over 
ten people. He will give to each member a lesson 
help—a quarterly used by the school—or better, a 
Home Department Magazine. These visitors will 
then call near the end of each quarter to give new 
literature and blanks for next quarter. Of course 
the members of the department will be visited as 
often as necessary on account of sickness, sorrow, 
or anything else calling for the service due from a 
Christian worker. 

The equipment is very simple. The literature 
has already been named. An enrollment card 


ADVANCED DEPARTMENTS 


91 


ought to be signed by each member and then a 
simple certificate of membership should be given 
by the visitor. Furnish also an envelope for any 
free-will offerings during the quarter. These have 
blanks for keeping a complete record of lessons 
studied, offerings made and attendance at Sunday 
School. Each visitor has a blank form for enroll¬ 
ment of group and quarterly reports to the super¬ 
intendent. The latter has a blank for making his 
quarterly report to the Sunday School. 

A class may be conducted at the church on 
preaching Sundays. Many members of the Home 
Department make special effort to attend preach¬ 
ing. They drift into other classes or sit around 
waiting for preaching. If there was a special class 
for them many would ultimately become regular 
members of the Sunday School. 

An open door of opportunity is offered to every 
country Sunday School in the Home Department. 
A larger part of the constituency of a country 
Sunday School is logical material for the Home- 
Department than in cities and towns. The “ shut- 
ins ” would welcome such a relationship. The 
author knows one country Sunday School that had 
won to the school every member of the church ex¬ 
cept one crippled woman. Home Department ma¬ 
terial was secured for her so that every one might 
be a Sunday-school pupil. The school was happy, 
and so was the woman. 


92 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 

RESTATEMENT FOR REVIEW 

1. A Superintendent Over All Classes 

2. Intermediates 

(1) Importance—great losses. 

(2) Class organization. 

(3) Class schemes. 

(4) Class activities and aims. 

(5) The teacher. 

3. Seniors and Adults 

(1) Few men and women in Sunday School. 

(2) Special call to church members. 

(3) Effectiveness of organized classes. 

4. The Home Department 

(1) The officers. 

(2) The equipment. 

(3) A class in Sunday School. 

(4) An open door of opportunity. 



VIII 


SPECIAL OEGANIZATION FOE SENIOES 

AND ADULTS 

E VEEY country Sunday School ought to 
have two or more organized classes. There 
are enough people to furnish the member¬ 
ship of these classes, and enough intelligence and 
executive ability to do the work necessary to suc¬ 
cess. If the school is very small the best that can 
be done will be a mixed class for the young people 
and another for the more mature people with men 
and women in the class. 

In schools of larger membership there will be a 
need for three or more classes, drawing the lines 
by age. Let all young people to about thirty years 
of age be together. Separate the sexes when pos¬ 
sible. 

The value of organization in these classes is no 
longer a question. Men and women were never 
reached in any large way until the coming of or¬ 
ganized classes. Now there are possibly 2,000,000 
men and women in organized classes in America. 
There is an appeal for adults in organization. 
They become real doers of the word and not hear¬ 
ers only. Some plans are presented, and complete 

details may be secured in books and tracts. 

93 


94 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


1. Class names and schemes. There are many 
suitable names for these classes, but the name is 
not half so important as the right objective and 
spirit in the class. The name may be entirely local 
in its meaning. A unique class in a country church 
was found recently. The men were not in Sunday 
School. The pastor put on a campaign for the 
men, and he won the landlords and tenants, the 
hired men and all the others near enough. They 
named themselves “ The Scrap Iron Class,” and 
they were being welded together for the Lord. 
The entire class scheme was as follows: 


Name: 

Aim: 

Song: 

Verse: 


Two other class 
Name: 
Colours: 
Motto: 
Verse: 

Aim: 



Song: 


Tiie Scrap Iron Class. 

To reach the unreached. 

“ Will You Be a Volunteer ? ” 

“ Go out into the highways and 
hedges and compel them to 
come in.” 

schemes are given: 

Berean (young men). 

White, nile-green and gold. 

Acts 17: 11. 

“ Search the Scriptures.”— 
(John 5: 39.) 

To behold the wondrous things 
out “ of Thy Law.” 

“ Break Thou the Bread of 
Life, Dear Lord, to Me.” 


SENIORS AND ADULTS 


95 



Name: Fidelis (young women). 
Colours: Old gold and black. 

Motto: “ Be thou faithful unto death 

and I will give thee a crown 
of life.”—(Rev. 2: 10.) 

Aim: Every member of our class a 

Christian. 

Verse: Daniel 12: 3. 

Song: “ Will There Be Any Stars in 

My Crown ? ” 

Here are some other names in general use: 


For young men—Baraca, Boethian, Agoga. 

For young women—Philathea, Amoma, 
Euzelian. 

For mature men—The Bible Class, the 
Adult Class. 

For mothers—T. E. L. (Timothy, Eunice, 
Lois), Alathean, Dorcas Class. 

The publishers will furnish, on request, complete 
class schemes for all these. 

2. A constitution something like the one given 
below will be adopted. Of course every class may 
make such changes as may be necessary. 


ARTICLE I. NAME 

The name of this class shall be u The 
Class ” in the Sunday School of the , 
church.” 




96 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


ARTICLE II. PURPOSE 

The purpose of this class shall be to study the 
Bible, to foster fellowship, social and religious, and 
to render service through the church for increased 
efficiency. 

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP 

The class shall consist of (show whether the class 
is for young men, young women, men, women, or 
a mixed class). Names of persons desirous of be¬ 
coming members will be formally proposed by any 
member of the class, and upon vote of the class will 
be declared members. 


ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS 

The officers of the class shall be as follows, each 
being in charge of the business stated after his 


name: 

1. President—Management. 

2. First Vice-President—Enlargement. 

3. Second Vice-President—Fellowship. 

4. Third Vice-President—Religious work. 

5. Secretary—Records; Literature. 

6. Treasurer—Finances. 

7. Reporter—Publicity. 

8. Teacher—Teaching the Lesson. 


ARTICLE V. ELECTION OF OFFICERS 

The officers shall be elected by the class, except 
the teacher, who shall be elected in the same way 
in which other teachers in the school are elected. 


SENIORS AND ADULTS 


97 


ARTICLE VI. CLASS MEETINGS 

The class shall meet every Sunday for Bible 
Study, in connection with the Sunday School. 
Meetings for business shall be held at least 
monthly. 

ARTICLE VII. RELATION TO THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 

The class shall be, in the fullest sense, a part of 
the Sunday School, submitting to necessary regula¬ 
tions, giving to promote the interests of the school, 
and sitting with the school in the opening or closing 
exercises, or both. 

ARTICLE VIII. RELATION TO THE PREACHING 

SERVICE 

This class shall heartily and loyally support the 
preaching services of the church, urging all its 
members to attend the same, and co-operating in 
every way possible with the pastor. 

ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS 

This Constitution may be amended by a major¬ 
ity vote at any business meeting of the class, pro¬ 
vided notice of such amendment has been given at 
a previous business meeting of the class. 

3. The officers and their duties. These officers 
have just been named in the tentative constitution. 
It will be impossible here to discuss all their du¬ 
ties. The book, “ Building the Bible Class,” by 
Mr. Strickland and Mr. McGlothlin, furnishes one 


98 


A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


of the best discussions. A briefer discussion is in 
tracts offered free to those who ask for them. 

No one knows better than the author that in some 
very small Sunday Schools the complete plans can¬ 
not be carried out, hut he gives here some duties 
of all the officers of a class that is completely organ¬ 
ized. Following the naming of these duties he will 
show how the work of two officers may be combined 
into one. 

The President presides at all sessions of the class 
on Sunday or week days. He plans for every inter¬ 
est of the class. He should be willing to give some 
time in studying for efficiency and in doing neces¬ 
sary things. He ought to study a recognized au¬ 
thority on rules of order, so that he may preside 
with ease and skill. Of course he ought to he 
familiar with the whole plan of organized class 
work so that he may secure the full co-operation of 
all the other officers. He will be on time at Sun¬ 
day School with a worth while, hut brief, program 
for the class. 

The First Vice-President ought to know the 
name of every one who ought to he in the class and 
use every means possible to enlist him and keep 
him. He will use all members of the class to help 
him. To do this work effectively will require defi¬ 
nite and persistent effort. The old “ sheet light¬ 
ning ” appeal for everybody to bring somebody else 
to Sunday School will never build up a class. The 
First Vice-President will co-operate with the re- 


SENIORS AND ADULTS 


99 


porter and in many small schools one person can 
hold both offices. It is just as important to look 
after absentees as it is to seek new pupils. Sunday 
Schools have lost more seniors and adults than 
they now have in them. 

The Second Vice-President on Sunday greets 
the members of the class and lets them know he is 
glad they are present. During the week from time 
to time he will arrange some kind of social gather¬ 
ing. Sociability does not save souls, but it often 
protects those souls against social conditions that 
would da^-an them. Christian homes may he used 
for these meetings. The schoolhouse and the 
church may he used too. The social life of every 
country community could be enriched if these class 
officers would co-operate. Have a musical program 
occasionally. Bring together the phonograph rec¬ 
ords of the neighbourhood and get the best that all 
have. If your community would only buy a good 
stereopticon, slides could be secured for a nominal 
rental and Mission Boards would send you all you 
want for transportation charges. Why not have 
some literary evenings of reading, debates, and 
other things? 

The Third Vice-President is in a large measure 
a spiritual leader of the class. He will use the 
class for soul-winning in the class, the Sunday 
School and the community. There will he no pub¬ 
licity in this. He can invite the devout members 
of the class in behalf of the unsaved members and 


100 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


of those on the outside. The teacher and presi¬ 
dent should give this officer an opportunity occa¬ 
sionally to conduct a devotional service in the class. 
Of course these class vice-presidents will co-operate 
with all evangelistic efforts by the church. This 
officer will keep the class informed about mission 
effort in the state and world. In other words, in 
soul winning away from home. 

The Secretary keeps the records of the class and 
makes his report to the secretary of the school. 
He will use the best system, and that is the Six- 
Point System. The best way is to use an indi¬ 
vidual record slip or envelope and post this in his 
record book at home. He ought to have a complete 
enrollment card of every member. This will show 
name, whether church member or not, his experi¬ 
ence in Christian work and what he is willing to 
try to do. The secretary need not call the roll if 
the plan named above is used. This requires an 
unnecessary waste of time. 

The Treasurer looks after the finances of the 
class. He receives the offering and turns it over 
to the Sunday-school Treasurer, except such a part 
as may be agreed upon to be retained for special 
class activities. Very few classes in country Sun¬ 
day Schools will need any separate treasury. If 
special money is needed it will be raised as needed 
by a special offering. The treasurer will cultivate 
the grace of giving in the class. 

The Reporter is the publicity officer. He does 


SENIORS AND ADULTS 


101 


everything he can to present the claims of the class 
to all who ought to he in the class. He co-operates 
with the first vice-president. As already said, one 
person may hold both offices in small Sunday 
Schools. 

The Teacher's work will he discussed in other 
chapters. 

Some possible combinations are named for 
schools which are lacking in members and talent. 
The teacher is the main spiritual leader, and can 
take over the work of the third vice-president. The 
first vice-president can do the work of the repoiter 
and, as named, one person can be secretary-treas¬ 
urer. This reduces the number of officers, besides 
the teacher, to four. Any class can find this many 
people who can do the work suggested. This will 
be a great blessing to the work and the workers. 
If every country Sunday School would put in 
training five to eight people for every senior and 
adult class, these schools would be revolutionized 

in efficiency in a decade. 

4. Some values will be manifest in every organ¬ 
ized class. As soon as the men and women of a 
community have been won for the Sunday School 
there will be noted a dignity in that school not seen 
before. The school is no longer a children’s affair. 
The work has been so magnified that it wins more 
respect from people in the church and on the 
outside. 

The organization assigns definite duties to all 


102 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


class officers. Country churches are filled with 
people who are anxious to do something for the 
Lord. They are waiting for some one to tell them 
what to do and how to do it. Some young women 
in a country Sunday School recently asked the 
author what they could do. Some members of the 
class were officers and had duties. They were not 
officers, and nothing had been assigned them. 

The class becomes a permanent factor in the 
Sunday School. It is no longer dependent for its 
existence on one person as formerly—the teacher. 
In this way the entire school, as well as the organ¬ 
ized classes, is built up. 

Class organization appeals strongly to young 
people. They are doing something themselves. 
They are no longer a mere “ knot on a log ” kind 
of church member. Putting them in definite train¬ 
ing is carrying out the latter part of the great com¬ 
mission. 

Some dangers may be expected. The enthusiasm 
of youth and the independence of maturity will 
both assert themselves along lines that may cause 
some troubles, but both these fine qualities may be 
properly guided to great usefulness. 

Some classes will have so much business to at¬ 
tend to that the time for the teacher is cut short. 
This must be avoided. Transact the main business 
at some other time than the class period. This can 
be done Sunday afternoon, a week night or im¬ 
mediately following Sunday School, when there is 



SENIORS AND ADULTS 


103 


no preaching. These will be only occasional 
meetings. 

There is a tendency in some classes towards an 
nltra-independence. An organized class is just as 
much a part of the entire school as a Junior class. 
There ought to be a perfect unity among all classes 
and departments, and any failure to have this in¬ 
jures the entire school. Opening and closing exer¬ 
cises ought to he with the main school and hearty 
co-operation with the school in offerings for causes 
of the denomination fostered by the school. 

RESTATEMENT FOR REVIEW 

1. The Need for Organized Classes 

2. Class Names and Schemes 

\ 

3. A Tentative Constitution 

4. The Officers and Their Duties 

(1) President—Management. 

( 2 ) First Vice-President—Enlargement. 

(3) Second Vice-President—Fellowship. 

(4) Third Vice-President—-Religious Work. 

( 5) Secretary—Records; Literature. 

(6) Treasurer—Finances. 

( 7 ) Reporter—Publicity. 

(8) Teacher—Teaching the Lesson. 

5. Some Values of Class Organization 

6. Some Dangers of Class Organization 


IX 


SUGGESTIONS ABOUT SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

BUILDINGS * 


T HE discussion thus far has considered 
reaching the people, an adequate organi¬ 
zation for the school and the classes with 
officers to care for them. It is necessary to have a 
suitable building in which to meet if the school is 
to be efficient. 

FACING CONDITIONS 

1. Some difficulties must be faced and over¬ 
come before country churches will have buildings 
adequate for the needs of their Sunday Schools. 
Country people have always been conservative and 
sometimes slow in taking to new things. This is 
true in lines of progress in matters purely agri¬ 
cultural. It takes a long time to change many of 
them to the best methods of farming. There must 
be conducted a campaign of education for better 
country church buildings. 

2. More pious than practical . Some good peo¬ 
ple are more pious than practical when they think 
of new buildings for the Sunday School. They 

* The figures mentioned in this chapter are grouped at the 
end of the chapter. Most of these cuts were loaned by the 
Baptist S. S. Board. J 


104 



SUGGESTIONS ABOUT BUILDINGS 105 


think of a Sunday School only as the work of the 
Lord, and forget that it is also roan’s work. God 
is going to do all for His people they will let Him 
do for efficient Sunday Schools, but one thing He 
is not going to do, and that is build houses for 
them. He will help the people to do this. Farm¬ 
ing is God’s work and man’s too. The scientists 
say that ninety-five per cent of the energy expended 
in an average crop comes from nature—heat, light, 
chemical changes in the air through the leaves and 
in the soil through the roots. No one could per¬ 
suade a real farmer to neglect furnishing his five 
per cent of energy in co-operation with God. 

MAKE THE CHURCH BUILDING THE BEST 

People reach conclusions largely from what they 
see. If a church building is unattractive, inade¬ 
quate or untidy, they at once put a low estimate 
on the church and its work. Every one sees much 
progress in most country communities—better 
houses, better roads, better public schoolrooms, bet¬ 
ter vehicles, better home conveniences, and better 
farm implements. 

Possibly ninety-five per cent of the country 
churches still worship in one-room buildings, and 
many of these unpainted and perfectly plain from 
a point of architecture. These buildings may be 
good for preaching or any kind of congregational 
worship, but they are not good for a teaching ser¬ 
vice. It is not necessary to argue the desirability 


106 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


of having classes separated while teaching is being 
done. 

Public school buildings are being greatly im¬ 
proved. The same children who have their minds 
trained in them go to Sunday School on Sunday 
for religious instruction. Physical comforts must 
be provided if right impressions are to be made. 
Church members and parents must be as loyal in 
spending money for adequate Sunday-school houses 
as they are as citizens in building houses for the 
intellectual training of their children. 

Utility ought to be the main objective in plan¬ 
ning a building for a Sunday School. This can be 
done, and still observe the appeal to the sense of 
beauty. Every plan suggested later in remodelling 
or building a new house will furnish a more at¬ 
tractive building than those with four plain walls. 

MAKE THE BEST USE OF ONE ROOM 

In a one-room church there ought to be some 
system in arranging the classes. Let the workers 
plan some system in this, considering convenience, 
attitude of pupils towards the work, and country 
traditions. 

No separation of classes. Notice the floor plans 
in a subsequent paragraph on “ The Use of Cur¬ 
tains.” This is for a school of nine classes. The 
Beginners and Primaries are near the front where 
low seats can be provided. Then for preaching as¬ 
semble the children here. This plan gives a tradi- 


SUGGESTIONS ABOUT BUILDINGS 107 


tional u amen ” corner to the adults. It puts the 
shy Intermediates near the door and the tardy 
young men in a similar position. It surrounds the 
mischievous Juniors with Adults and young 
women. 

If there are only five classes let the same general 
arrangement exist. The Beginners and Primaries 
will he in one class. Both sexes of Juniors, Inter¬ 
mediates and Seniors will be in the same class. 
Common sense will suggest other groupings to fit 
this general plan. 

The use of curtains. No one would ever think 
of using curtains to beautify the interior of a 
church house, but thousands have added efficiency 
to Sunday-school classes by their use. Utility, and 
not beauty, should be a major objective. There is 
a right way and a wrong way to put up the cur¬ 
tains. Plans are offered for curtaining an entire 
auditorium. Only a part of this plan may be 
used. 

The best way is to string the curtains on iron 
pipes. A plumber will furnish the material small 
water pipes or gas pipes. Exact measurements 
must be made so as to cut the pipes to fit. If these 
are of considerable length they must be supported 
in one or two places. It is better to do this from 
the ceiling. Figure 1 shows a short section of this 
outfit. At the end is a floor flange with screw holes 
for fastening to window facing or better to frame 
work of the building between windows. 


108 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


If pipes cannot be secured, use wire, but let it 
be strong and taut. At one end of the wire have 
a book going through the wall of the building with 
several inches of “ threads ” on the end. Any 
blacksmith can make this. With wrench the tap 
can be “ run up ” until there is no sag in the wire. 
For hook, see upper part of Figure 2. 

The arrangement of classes has already been 
mentioned for a one-room church with no curtains. 
Use curtains for the same arrangement. Two 
diagrams from a cardboard model are shown. 
Imagine that the roof of a one-room church has 
been removed and the walls of the church down to 
the supports of the curtains. Then think of being 
on an elevation looking down diagonally into the 
auditorium with all the curtains drawn. See this 
in Figure 3. There is a window in each class 
room. There is one longitudinal curtain and three 
transverse curtains, making eight rooms. 

Now with this diagram study Figure 4. It is 
the same auditorium with all curtains removed and 
one side and one end of church removed. Yk>u see 
the arrangement of pews, aisles and pulpit as it is 
in many churches. The dotted lines show location 
of the curtains shown in Figure 3. Of course 
adaptations will have to be made in many cases. 
There is a difference in floor plan and number of 
windows, but a little common sense will enable one 
to make necessary modifications. With this ar¬ 
rangement any small school can be graded. 


SUGGESTIONS ABOUT BUILDINGS 109 


The material used may be as varied as the cloth- 
makers’ art. Just as there are right ways and 
wrong ways to string the curtains, so there is the 
right material and wrong material for the curtains. 
Do not use a flimsy cloth. Do not use colours that 
will easily fade. Use good substantial material 
with fast colours. 

REMODEL THE PRESENT HOUSE 

There are thousands of good one-room churches. 
Many of these can be remodeled and become ade¬ 
quate to meet the needs of the Sunday Schools. It 
is impossible here to give every plan. Four sug¬ 
gested types of remodelling are given. These may 
be modified and other plans entirely different may 
be used. 

1. Inside the present building. Figure 5 shows 
how Sunday-school facilities were secured. 

This building was originally one large room 
with a vestibule extending across the front. By 
means of inexpensive partitions, rooms for Begin¬ 
ners and Primaries were secured at each end of the 
vestibule. A baptistry and rooms for organized 
classes were secured in the main auditorium. Cur¬ 
tained space indicated by the dotted lines was se¬ 
cured for Juniors and Intermediates. Not in ex¬ 
actly this way, but in some similar way which this 
may suggest, many buildings might be made to 
offer greatly improved Sunday-school provisions. 

2. On the inside and in the rear. The rec* 


110 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


tangular church may get two rooms at the front of 
the church and the building be too short to use any 
floor space near the present pulpit. In this case 
use the vestibule or rear of the auditorium, and 
build two or three rooms behind the pulpit, as in 
Figure 6. 

3. In the rear and on sides of church. The two 
plans presented may not give enough room. The 
floor plans in Figure 6 will give classrooms for 
eight classes if four instead of three should be built 
in the rear and one on each side of the pulpit. If 
the rooms at the entrance of the church should not 
be built the auditorium could be used for two or 
three classes, using curtains if desirable. 

4. On the side. If the ceiling is high enough 
an addition two stories high may be built on one 
side of the church and a new front built if the 
present one is not attractive. These general plans 
are embodied in Figures 7 and 8. 

BUILD A NEW HOUSE 

Many buildings are so inadequate that remodel¬ 
ling is out of the question. A new house must be 
built to meet the situation. Church architecture 
is being so extensively studied that every church 
that is going to build a new house ought to consult 
some specialist in Sunday-school work and get the 
best plans. “ Church and Sunday-school Build¬ 
ings/' by Burroughs, is a good book on this sub¬ 
ject. Several general types and plans are given: 


SUGGESTIONS ABOUT BUILDINGS 111 


1. Floor plans and exterior, as shown in Fig¬ 
ure 9, allows two classrooms for every department. 
The building is attractive and not an expensive 
one. 

2. Another plan giving eight classrooms and 
two small robing rooms is shown in Figure 10. 
This presents an attractive exterior and presents a 
new type for country churches. This, too, is built 
along straight lines, and is not expensive. 

3. A very attractive plan is presented in the 
floor plans in Figures 11 and 12. 

Note 'provision for the preaching service . Pul¬ 
pit, choir and baptistry arrangements are thought¬ 
fully executed. The “ auditorium 75 proper is de¬ 
signed to seat the usual congregation. When larger 
audiences are to be provided for, the wings adjoin¬ 
ing, marked “ Beginners/’ “ Primaries,’’ “ Junior 
Department ” and “ Intermediate Department,” 
may be opened and the balconies may be used, thus 
accommodating large numbers. The house might 
be built on larger or smaller lines, but if the audi¬ 
torium is 40 x 40 feet, the seating will be as 


follows: 

Auditorium... 225 

Three adjoining wings . 180 

Two balcony sections. 140 


Total seating.545 


Total maximum capacity. 600 

Note provision for the Sunday School. Depart- 







112 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


mental rooms are offered for each of the six de¬ 
partments in the modern Sunday School. The sec¬ 
tions for the Junior and Intermediate departments 
are large enough for four classes instead of two if 
the needs require. Besides these department rooms 
there are three additional rooms which may he used 
for extra classes. 

Note provision for serving and possible social 
functions. The “ kitchen ” is well located; the 
large rooms adjoining can he used for serving and 
for social purposes. Since there are three separate 
entrances to this section of the building, the audi¬ 
torium would, of course, remain closed during the 
banquets or other social functions. 

Note advantages in the general design. 1. The 
building is admirably lighted and ventilated. 
2. Ample entrances and exits at four corners of 
the building. 3. Provision for prayer meeting and 
other smaller week-day meetings in any one of the 
department rooms. Thus only a smaller room may 
require to be heated and lighted instead of the large 
auditorium. 4. Economy in design. This build¬ 
ing which provides for large congregation and a 
large Sunday School was erected in the open coun¬ 
try, twelve miles from Paducah, Ky., in 1917, at 
a cost of $5,900. Present cost would, of course, 
be much higher. The building would better be 
erected in brick or stone. In some localities brick 
veneer would be preferable. 


FIGURES 



C UR TRIMS HOOK EX TENOS THRQOCH WALL 


r S/>oce, for Mlarc,htr><^ 

6onchSotted Off 






< 


C> 

u 

V 

"Teach c^r s' 


* 

i 


O. 

< 

u 

L 

<4i 

0) 

Cha pr 

c 

iL 

0 

1 

C^tfr^ot n 


Children's Corner in a 

One. Room Church Bui/chnot. 



Figure No. 2 . 
































Figure No. 3. 



Figure No. 4 













































































































































































































Figure No. 7. Figure No. 
































































































































































































Floor Plah 


Figure No. 11 


C*MCDfATC I DePAPTMCHT 























































































BAL CONY PLAN 


Figure No. 12. 






































































SUGGESTIONS ABOUT BUILDINGS 113 


Finally, every one is urged to know the needs of 
his Sunday School and not be satisfied until a house 
has been built for the Sunday School that will meet 
these needs. Many tragedies are being enacted be¬ 
cause of the ignorance of the needs of the Sunday 
School on the part of architects and building com¬ 
mittees. 

The types of remodelling and of new buildings 
^n this chapter are in no way final. They are only 
illustrative of some things that may be done. Let 
those interested consult some Sunday-school special¬ 
ist or Sunday-school publishing house. Both these 
sources of information and advice are available and 
free for all. 


RESTATEMENT FOR REVIEW 

1. Facing Conditions 

(1) Some difficulties. 

(2) People more pious than practical. 

2. Make the Church Building the Best in the 

Community 

3. Make the Best Use of One Room 

(1) Arrange classes properly. 

(2) Use curtains. 

4. Remodel the Present House 

(1) Inside the present building. 

(2) Inside and in the rear. 

(3) In the rear and sides. 

(4) On one side. 


114 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 

5. Build a New House 

(1) Consult a specialist. 

(2) Study many plans. 

(3) Strive for an ideal. 


X 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN SESSION 

I N many country communities the session of 
the Sunday School may he the most meaning¬ 
ful hour of the 168 hours of the week. It 
certainly ought to count much religiously. It 
means much educationally, for thousands here sup¬ 
plement the knowledge gained in the public schools. 
In the social and moral life its value is incalcu¬ 
lable. In that country community where there is 
a good Sunday School, moral and social standards 
are high and vices common in many places are not 
tolerated. A properly conducted Sunday School 
will contribute a large share in producing a desir¬ 
able environment in country life. 

1. Planning the Program. The Sunday School 
is a public service of worship and teaching. The 
school should not have too much formality, and yet 
there must be some degree of this. The officers 
and teachers too often take for granted that they 
will get through somehow. They think something 
will happen to interest and instruct, but it does not. 
The members of the Sunday School go to their 

homes not satisfied, and are careless about going 

115 


116 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


next Sunday. Their minds and souls have not 
been fed, and they know it. Of course such people 
cannot with any enthusiasm invite others to attend. 
The result is the Sunday School drags through a 
monotonous existence. Many do not even do this 
well, for thousands of country Sunday Schools go 
into winter quarters as do the cold-blooded animals 
—snakes, lizards, turtles and terrapins. 

The live school is not going to risk something 
happening. The officers are going to plan for it 
and make something happen, and they are going to 
know what it is going to be. Here are a few things 
for which to plan: 

(1) Worship. It is difficult to describe this, 
and yet every one knows when there is worship. 
It largely depends on atmosphere, and this depends 
on the inner life of the people. One cannot see 
the physical atmosphere, but he knows when he is 
breathing it whether it is fresh and invigourating 
or depressing and enervating. The same is largely 
true of the spiritual atmosphere of any Sunday 
School. In some of them every one knows God is 
there. He is conscious that His Spirit is in him. 
He knows it since the people sing with unction and 
do everything with joy. 

This atmosphere cannot be created mechanically 
or methodically, but some things are conducive to 
it. One is reverence and good order. Some one 
has said that “ order is heaven’s first law.” If 
this is true some Sunday Schools are a long way 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN SESSION 117 


from heaven. Again, a businesslike procedure in 
all the services will help. 

(2) Youth predominates in the membership, 
and this must not be forgotten. A general publica¬ 
tion a few years ago said that eighty per cent of 
the members of American Sunday Schools were 
children, boys and girls and young people. Since 
the recent growth of organized classes this may not 
be true, but at least three-fourths are from these 
classes. In planning for a session of the school the 
tastes and needs of youth must not be forgotten. 
The music must have life in it. There must be 
variety in what is going to be done. Nothing tires 
us so quickly as monotony. All classes must be 
assigned definite duties from time to time. Noth¬ 
ing will please parents more than to know that the 
Superintendent is using their children in the exer¬ 
cises of the Sunday School. The children are even 
more pleased than their parents. When the super¬ 
intendent, in his prayer, thanked God for “ food 
and raiment,” the boy named Raymond thought his 
name was called and went home happy and told 
his mother that the superintendent said something 
nice about him in Sunday School. 

(3) Write your program in outline during the 
week. Then you will know exactly what you are 
going to try to do. There is a little book, “ Super¬ 
intendent’s Record Manual.” This has a place for 
fifty-two memoranda besides many valuable hints 
and suggestions. Of course the superintendent is 


118 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


responsible for tbis program, but be must cultivate 
a fine spirit of co-operation with all other officers, 
the teachers and .the classes. The most perfect 
program in outline will prove a failure without this 
co-operation. These programs, in part, at least, 
must be planned ahead. The parts to be taken by 
individuals, groups and classes should be assigned 
from one to four weeks ahead. In this way some¬ 
thing really worth while will be furnished. 

(4) Teaching is the main work in the session 
of a Sunday School. The building, the equipment, 
the organization, the officers—everything exists 
that the teachers may teach the Bible to the people. 
In planning the program everything ought to lend 
itself to the effectiveness of the lesson period. This 
time is sacred and ought not to be disturbed or 
invaded by anything. Everything possible ought 
to be done to get the teachers to realize the im¬ 
portance and sacredness of their tasks. We are 
seeking efficiency in our public schools. We need 
this, hut the best teaching in any community ought 
to be in the Sunday School. The day-school teacher 
is teaching for good citizenship and the temporal 
welfare of the pupils. The Sunday-school teacher 
is doing this too, but more; her work is for 
eternity. 

2. j Rendering the Program is just as important 
as planning it. During the week the superin¬ 
tendent plans his work and on Sunday he works 
his plans: 



THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN SESSION 119 


(1) Begin on time . Let this time be the most 
suitable hour. It is purely a local matter, but it 
should not run into the preaching hour or some 
other exercises to follow. This makes it necessary 
to start on time—at least an hour and a quarter 
before preaching—so as not to be crowded. Your 
people will demand a very short intermission, so 
that you must plan for it. l r ou cannot do God’s 
work in an orderly and dignified way if you are 
in a hurry. To he prompt and regular is building 
a fine element into the character of the youth of 
your Sunday School, and it is developing a Chris¬ 
tian grace in the lives of your church members. 
At least three people must be there ahead of time 
if the Sunday School opens right—the superin¬ 
tendent, the director of music and the organist. 

(2) Some basal things must be in every pro¬ 
gram. To leave them out is to mar the exercises. 
Into these must be woven other things to give 
variety. Among the former is congregational sing¬ 
ing, a helpful devotional service and an undis¬ 
turbed teaching period. 

The place of singing has already been men¬ 
tioned, hut it cannot he emphasized too strongly. 
Care must he used in selecting the song hooks. 
Some now in use are positively disgusting and 
harmful. The tunes are ragtime—some call them 
“ holy jigs,” hut spell the first word “ wholly.” 
Such songs cannot conduce to worship or culture. 
Secure books with some good new live songs and 




120 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


a good supply of standard, ageless hymns. One or 
more of the latter should be sung every Sunday. 
The author was in a Sunday School some years 
ago that did not know “ Rock of Ages.” 

The songs, as far as possible, should be appro¬ 
priate to the lesson. Did you ever fail to sing 
“ My Faith Looks Up to Thee,” or “ Faith is the 
Victory,” or some other song on “ Faith,” when 
the lesson was Hebrews 11 ? The people will not 
sing unless you give them books. The ideal is a 
book for every one, but certainly a book for one- 
half your average attendance. 

The opening and closing exercises should not be 
time-killers or program-fillers. Every minute 
should count. The entire program should be shot 
through with a bright, cheerful spirit of devotion. 
Of course the Bible ought to be read and there 
ought to be one or more public prayers. Respon¬ 
sive or concert reading is questionable as to being 
the best, unless you can really get a response in 
unison. Different ones can read, with the school 
following with eyes and not voice. 

The importance of the lesson period has already 
been emphasized. At this time consecrated and 
faithful men and women are teaching the Bible. 
An hour later the pastor is going to be preacher 
from the same Bible. He expects order and no in¬ 
terruption. The law protects him. If he is dis¬ 
turbed the wrong-doer can be indicted in the courts. 
Until classrooms can be secured for every class 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN SESSION 121 


there is little hope to get such favourable condi¬ 
tions for the teachers as for the preachers, but there 
must be an effort to get as nearly such conditions 
as possible. 

(3) Some special features will enter into 
nearly every well-rendered program. All like 
variety. God gives it in nature, and we give it 
to ourselves in dress, food and the homes. These 
things will be wisely fitted into the basal things 
already mentioned. The superintendent and his 
co-workers co-operate to furnish these things. 

Special music can he furnished by individuals 
and classes from time to time. If the classes ar« 
organized they have class songs which may be sung 
from time to time. Groups can he arranged for 
duets and quartets. Some individuals have voices 
of such beauty and training that they can render 
solos. 

From time to time great causes like the orphan¬ 
age and missions can be presented in short speeches 
—never over five or ten minutes. There is a book, 
“Five Missionary Minutes,” that furnishes help¬ 
ful material. Any Mission Board will gladly fur¬ 
nish many helpful tracts free. The young people 
and boys and girls can find helpful readings or 
recitations. To render these is beneficial to the 
Sunday School and is especially valuable as a 
training for those who render them. 

(4) Closing on time is about as great a virtue 
as beginning on time. “ Let all things he done de- 


122 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


cently and in order.”—I Oor. 14: 40. After the 
closing, the officers and teachers must not be in too 
big a hurry to leave the house. Some one may 
want to speak about a matter of importance. 

3. Using the eleven o'clock hour has not re¬ 
ceived due attention. On the days when there is 
no preaching there is no reason why many helpful 
things could not he done. The people are already 
assembled. The house is warm in winter and 
ventilated in summer. A Workers’ Council, a 
Teacher-Training Class, and a practice of new 
songs could he conducted with great profit. The 
common sense and initiative of the workers of each 
school will decide how many times a month to meet 
and what to do. 

4. A suggested program is here offered. This 
is not to he followed regularly, but may help super¬ 
intendents plan their programs. 

Subject: Jesus Sending Forth the Twelve 

Mark 6:1-31 

Golden Text: “ Freely ye received, freely give.” 
—Matt. 10: 8. 

1. Opening Worship 

(1) The school standing will sing, “ Onward 

Christian Soldiers ” and “ Take My Life 
and Let it Be.” 

(2) Two or three short prayers. 

(3) Lesson read by some individual or class. 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN SESSION 123 


(4) Special songs: 

Juniors— “A Volunteer for Jesus.” 
Intermediates—“ Loyalty to Christ.” 

(5) Prayer by superintendent that some one 

may be sent forth from this Sunday 
School. 

2. Lesson Period 

Full thirty minutes for teaching the lesson. 
If possible arrange for five or ten minutes more 
than this. See that the Sunday-school secretary 
has already distributed class record books, and 
plan for these to be returned to him with a mini¬ 
mum of interference to the teacher. If you 
have necessary class equipment, such as Bibles, 
blackboards and maps, see that everything is al¬ 
ready in place ready for use. 

3. Closing Worship 

(1) Song by school—“I Gave My Life for 

Thee.” 

(2) Primaries and Beginners sing, “ Little 

Feet Be Careful.” 

(3) Report by Secretary. 

(4) Announcements. 

(5) Short missionary talk. 

(6) Closing song—“ I’ll Go Where You Want 

Me to Go.” 

(7) Closing Prayer. 


124 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


General suggestions for any program 

(1) Use choice Scripture selections for memory 

work. 

See that school knows these by name so 
there will be ready response when called 
for. 

(2) From a superintendent’s magazine plan for 

general blackboard drills and presenta¬ 
tion of lessons and special objects. 

(3) Assign some weeks ahead special duties to 

some class or department for every 
Sunday. 

RESTATEMENT FOR REVIEW 

1. Great Value of Sunday School to Community 

2. Planning the Program 

(1) Plan for worship. 

(2) Youth predominates in membership. 

(3) Write the program. 

(4) Provide for lesson period. 

3. Rendering the Program 

(1) Begin on time. 

(2) Put basal things in program. 

(3) Special features. 

(4) Close on time. ^ 

4. Proper TJse of Eleven O’Clock Hour 

5. Outline of Program 

6. General Suggestions for Any Program 


XI 


THE TEACHER’S HIGH CALLING 
HE work of the officers—the general and 



departmental officers and class officers 


JL has been discussed. All these are vital to 
the success of the Sunday School, but every one of 
them exists in order that some other man and 
woman may teach the Bible. Whatever may have 
been former conceptions of the relative importance 
of the different workers in the Sunday School, it 
is now desired that all see the primacy of the 
teacher. This does not necessarily mean the 
teacher is the most important worker in a church, 
but he does hold a place in the front rank of the 
workers. Everything else is there that he may 
teach—the classrooms, the Sunday-school organiza¬ 
tion, the equipment, the whole machinery of the 
Sunday School. The opening and closing exercises 
are to give the right setting and create the right 
atmosphere for the work of the teacher. 

The reason for this is that God in His plan has 
made teaching a basal, a fundamental activity in 
the work of His Kingdom. Study every part of 
the Bible story and the large place that teaching 
holds in the work and worship of God’s people will 


125 


126 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


be seen. Of course the home was made the start¬ 
ing point. Parents were commanded to teach their 
children the laws and commandments of Jehovah. 
This commandment still holds and is being dis¬ 
obeyed. It was not long before God’s people began 
public teaching. If the people went away from 
God a campaign of teaching was instituted. A 
good illustration of this is Jehoshaphat trying to 
counteract idolatrous influences. He sent his teach¬ 
ers throughout all the cities of Judah to teach them 
the “ book of the law of Jehovah.” 

One of the most striking examples of teaching is 
the work of Ezra. The people had come back from 
captivity. They had been punished for their dis¬ 
obedience. Ezra, the scribe, called them together 
and taught them. He conducted a service close 
akin to a modern Sunday School. In organization 
and order of service there is a close similarity. 
From this time teaching held a place of primacy 
in the worship of the Jews. The synagogue w T as 
established. It was called “ the house of instruc¬ 
tion.” Jesus found them everywhere and Paul 
went to but few places that did not have a syna¬ 
gogue. The teaching in these synagogues was one 
of the biggest things in the preparation of the 
world for the coming of the Christ. 

In the fullness of time He came. He did many 
things in His ministry, but teaching holds a place 
of primacy in it. Read Luke 4: 14—“ And Jesus 
returned, * * —from where? His tempta- 



THE TEACHER’S HIGH CALLING 127 


tion. Then read on and yon will find that He 
opened His ministry in Galilee teaching. If you 
will follow Him you will find that He is mentioned 
in the four gospels more than eighty times as 
teacher or as teaching. Then when His work was 
done He gave His final orders in educational terms, 
“ Go ye, therefore, and teach * * * ; teach¬ 

ing them to observe all things whatsoever I have 
commanded you.” In that wonderful discourse on 
the night before the crucifixion He said, “ He that 
believeth on Me the works that I do shall he do 
also.” It is amazing that so few of His believers 
are active in the great teaching agencies of our 
churches. 

This quotation from the book, “ Christ the 
Teacher,” by Wayland, emphasizes what we have 
just said: 

“ That Jesus did His work so largely 
by teaching is highly significant. Many 
of the Jews expected Him to be a great 
conqueror like David, but He chose to be 
a teacher. The peasants and fishermen in 
Galilee wanted to erect a throne and 
make Him a king, but He chose to be a 
teacher. He was tempted to use His 
miraculous powers for glory and for gain, 
but He chose to be a teacher. The Jews, 
most of them, challenged Him to show 
signs and work wonders, but He chose to 
be a teacher. He had power to drive 


128 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


men, to kill men, to crush men, to com¬ 
pel men, but He chose to be a teacher. 

And from His great choice, from His 
great example, the world is gradually 
learning great lessons.” 

The Apostles took Jesus at His word. Over and 
over again in Acts it is said of them that they 
taught. “ They ceased not to teach and preach 
Jesus as the Christ,” Paul is spoken of as teach¬ 
ing. He was in Corinth “ a year and six months 
teaching the word of God among them.” In the 
epistles the work of teaching is magnified. “ Thou, 
therefore, which teachest another teachest thou not 
thyself?” “ And the things that thou has heard 
of Me among many witnesses, the same commit 
thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach 
others also.” 

A survey of church history from apostolic times 
until now will show that whenever God’s people 
have magnified teaching in the activities of the 
churches His cause has prospered and whenever 
they have neglected it His cause has languished. 
There was a period of a thousand years which we 
call the “ Dark Ages ”—moral, intellectual and 
spiritual darkness covered the earth. Analyze the 
cause of such conditions. It will be found that one 
of the most potent factors which brought about 
this darkness was the fact that the priests of the 
Romanists had supplanted the teachers in God’s 
plan. 


THE TEACHER’S HIGH CALLING 129 


When the Reformation came, teaching began 
again to find a place in the work and worship of 
the churches. The light broke again, and since 
then whenever a church or a denomination has put 
teaching in its right place the work has gone well. 
Go where you will to-day and apply this test and 
you will find the statement absolutely true. 

The modern Sunday School came in due time. 
We cannot trace its history of victories and defeats, 
but the former have been more and greater than 
the latter. The beginnings were small; the diffi¬ 
culties were many., Success did not come rapidly 
or everywhere, but it came, and the modern Sun¬ 
day School stands out to-day as one of the greatest 
agencies of the Kingdom. Every evangelical de¬ 
nomination accepts it as its agency for the public 
teaching of the Bible in the churches. No one has 
offered a better agency, and until some one does 
we owe it to ourselves and to God to give this work 
a proper rating. 

It has become a great Kingdom force, but thou¬ 
sands of religious leaders do not realize its potency 
and do not properly magnify its possibilities. In 
1920 there were 300,000 Sunday Schools with a 
membership of 28,000,000 in the world. These 
are not all children. In ten years a million and 
a half men and women have been brought into the 
Sunday Schools through the organized class move¬ 
ment. In this country the value of Sunday Schools 
can hardly be estimated. Four-fifths of the 


130 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


churches have preaching only once a month, but 
the Sunday School keeps the light of truth shining 
every Sunday. The aggregate attendance of our 
Sunday Schools is far more than the attendance at 
the services for preaching. 

The Seminaries, colleges and schools of the 
denominations are beginning to see this place of 
primacy and are putting in departments of Sun¬ 
day-school pedagogy for the training of the Sun¬ 
day-school workers of the future. The denomina¬ 
tional school that does not teach the Bible and the 
agencies it fosters has no just claims on the people 
for their patronage and money. Every Board for 
every great interest ought to magnify the work of 
teaching. They are recognizing this in the various 
study courses. 

Great publishing houses are now magnifying the 
Sunday-school work. Some of them began in pov¬ 
erty, but now measure their holdings and annual 
business in millions of dollars. They are sending 
out millions of copies of Sunday-school periodicals 
every quarter. Besides these they are sowing down 
the land with helpful tracts to make the Sunday 
Schools more efficient. Again, literally millions of 
copies of the Bible are being printed and distrib¬ 
uted by these same publishing houses because of 
the needs and influence of the Sunday School. 

The modern educational system is challenging us 
to magnify properly the work of teaching in our 
churches. Our forefathers came to America for 


THE TEACHER’S HIGH CALLING 131 


religious liberty. They separated the churches 
from the state and paid their blood as the price 
of establishing such a principle. In this day we 
would not have it otherwise. The very genius of 
our institutions makes it impossible for our state 
schools to teach the Bible in any effective way. 
The Bible is read in these schools, and some of 
them teach a few of the historical facts of the 
Bible, but they do not really teach the Bible. 

Educators everywhere agree that an education is 
not complete without a knowledge of the Bible. 
The churches are challenged to give this knowl¬ 
edge. Many educators that are not sticklers for a 
separation of church and state feel the churches 
are playing the “ dog-in-the-manger.” They are 
not doing adequate teaching of the Bible them¬ 
selves and are refusing to let the schools do it. 
This challenge must be met by so magnifying teach¬ 
ing that the Bible will be as well taught in Sunday 
Schools as any subject in the public schools. 

Trained teachers are greatly to be desired, but to 
undertake to require such a qualification arbitra¬ 
rily would paralyze thousands of Sunday Schools. 
With men and women of consecration, zeal and 
faithfulness, but without specific training, glorious 
successes have been attained. The rewards of 
many of these workers have already been received, 
and those of others are waiting for them. No one 
must ever forget such achievements. But it must 
not be forgotten that conditions and needs have 


132 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


changed. Those faithful, but untrained workers, 
can now train themselves and plan for the training 
of their successors. 

It matters not how much Sunday-school work 
may he boosted from the pulpits, in the religious 
press and in inspirational Sunday-school meetings, 
Sunday Schools can never get the right rating with 
thinking people until they become real schools. To 
do this there must be some real teachers, and be¬ 
fore they can do real teaching there must be ade¬ 
quate equipment and organization. Mark Hopkins 
on one end of a log and a young man on the other 
might have made a university in his day, but it 
would not now. Religious mass-meetings made 
Sunday Schools many years ago. They achieved 
gloriously, but with the changes that have come 
the Sunday Schools must change if they are to 
measure up to their opportunities. 

Sunday-school education, more commonly called 
Teacher Training, has become a great factor in the 
activities of every Sunday-school Board of every 
evangelical denomination. Every church ought to 
carry on this work, but there is a double responsi¬ 
bility on a country church. In the first place the 
Sunday School holds a relatively larger place than 
in city and town churches that have three to five 
public services every w T eek, while most country 
churches have preaching only once a month. Then 
again, the migration from country to city is so 
great that there is a constant drain on the working 


THE TEACHER’S HIGH CALLING 133 


forces in every country church. A few suggestions 
as to how to do it may be helpful. 

1. A Sunday-school Institute may he arranged 
for two to five days, just like protracted meetings 
for evangelism or a singing class for improving the 
music. The Sunday School may be able to secure 
the help of a Sunday-school Secretary or some one 
sent by him. The workers will study the hooks of¬ 
fered for training. If the hook cannot be finished, 
enough will be done so that by weekly meetings of 
the class or by individual study the work can be 
completed and awards secured for the work done. 

2. A Normal Class in a church is possibly the 
best way to do this work. The country church that 
has only once-a-month preaching can have this class 
three times a month immediately after Sunday 
School when there is no preaching. If there is 
preaching twice a month or every Sunday, another 
time will have to he used. Some time can be found 
for this class if the school really wants it. 

(1) The leader of the class will he one of the 
local workers—the pastor, the superintendent, one 
of the teachers, the public school teacher in the 
community or some other person selected by the 
class. Study courses are now so written that al¬ 
most any one who can teach a Sunday-school class 
can conduct a Teacher-Training class. It has al¬ 
ready been said that the pastor is really responsible 
for this work. If he cannot do it, it is his duty to 
see that some one else does it. 


134 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


(2) Who ought to take it? Of course the pas¬ 
tor, the superintendent, and every teacher. Pro¬ 
spective teachers ought to be trained before they 
are called into service. Nearly forty per cent of 
the Sunday-school workers are lost every year, and 
their places are filled with inexperienced and un¬ 
trained workers. “ The children of this world are 
wiser in their generation than the children of 
light.” Public-school teachers, lawyers, doctors, 
nurses, dentists—all who work for the public—are 
trained before they are allowed to begin their ser¬ 
vice for the public. This must be done in the Sun¬ 
day Schools before they will be rated properly in 
the thinking of the public. 

3. A reading circle may be used. This is not 
so good as Normal training, but far better than 
nothing. A good selection of books may be bought 
by the Sunday School or by the workers, and cir¬ 
culated as a Workers 7 Library. A good selection 
covering every department and every phase of the 
work of the Sunday School may be secured for 
$7.50 to $10.00. These books will give vision and 
inspiration and training that will greatly improve 
the Sunday School. 

RESTATEMENT FOR REVIEW 

1. The Primacy of the Teacher in the Sunday 

School 

2. Teaching was Basal in Old Testament 


THE TEACHER’S HIGH CALLING 135 


3. Teaching in the Synagogues 

4. Jesus, the Great Teacher 

5. Teaching in Apostolic Times 

6. Decline and Revival of Teaching—Results 

7. The Coming of the Sunday School 

8. Agencies Fostering Sunday Schools 

(1) Educational institutions. 

(2) Publishing houses. 

9. The Challenge of Secular Education 

10. Trained Teachers Necessary . How? 

(1) Sunday-school Institutes. 

(2) A Normal class. 

(a) The Leader—Who? 

(b) The membership. 

(3) A reading circle. 


XII 


THE TEACHER AS LEARNER AND 

LEADER 



HE work of the teacher cannot be too 


strongly emphasized. In the last chapter 


the primacy of teaching was mentioned. 


This means that it holds a place of front rank in 
the activities of the churches. Paul, in his first 
letter to Corinth, made a division of the work of 
a church among its members. He makes teachers 
prominent— u first apostles, secondarily prophets, 
thirdly teachers. 77 Daniel, looking down through 
the centuries in prophecy, saw the large place of 
the teacher when he said, “ And they that be teach¬ 
ers shall shine as the brightness of the firma¬ 
ment. 77 

1. Personality is one of the largest factors in 
the work of every teacher. We are u living epis¬ 
tles. 77 Our pupils may not be able to read foreign 
languages, they may not even be able to read the 
English language, but all can read lives, and they 
are reading them daily. Some one has said the 
world is learning about Jesus through five gospels, 
—Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the gospel by 
you. This is tremendously true, and because of 


136 


LEARNER AND LEADER 


137 


the large number of people in such close contact 
with Sunday-school teachers no class of people is 
exercising a more far-reaching influence than these 
teachers. 

“ We are the o. ly Bible 
The careless world will read; 

We are the sinner’s gospel. 

We are the scoffer’s creed; 

We are the Lord’s last message, 

Written in word and deed.” 

The very number of teachers impresses us. 
Every Sunday more than twice as many teachers 
gather in places of public worship to teach the 
Bible than gather in every secular institution in 
America on any day during any year. 

Right living by the teachers cannot be empha¬ 
sized too strongly. Their lives must be marked by 
consecration, earnestness and faithfulness. We 
have already emphasized Teacher Training. This 
is exceedingly important, but not so much so as 
the life that is prepared by right spiritual prepara¬ 
tion. There is much work to be done, but being 
right is more important than doing right. 

2. Preparing the lesson. There are more peo¬ 
ple teaching than are engaged in any other profes¬ 
sion. Teachers, then, ought to do such work as will 
bring honour to this profession. Measured by 
standards of education and religion, this is a plain 
duty. To do this requires definite, careful, pains¬ 
taking preparation of each lesson. If they count 
on previous preparation there is a dryness and 


138 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


monotony in the work that never appeals to the 
classes. If they depend on the inspiration of the 
moment they will find that does not come. 

(1) Good lesson helps are necessary to a right 
preparation of each lesson. First of all, every 
teacher ought to have a good Bible. This will con¬ 
tain marginal references, maps of Bible lands, a 
concordance, possibly a brief Bible dictionary, and 
many other valuable helps. Good periodical helps 
are next in value. Of course each wants the one 
prepared for teachers by his own Sunday-school 
Board, then such other standard helps as he is able 
to buy and have time to use. 

Besides the two named, any aggressive teacher 
will need, and can in due time get, many additional 
helps. In fact, he can soon have a real library for 
his lesson preparation. He will need a more com¬ 
plete concordance than he will find in his Bible. 
A Bible Dictionary can be secured. Commen¬ 
taries, bought one volume at a time, if not in sets, 
are of great value. Special volumes of biography 
and on books of the Bible can be bought as needed. 
Then these can be used in subsequent years when 
the same subjects are studied again. 

(2) An abundance of lesson material should be 
gathered from these helps on every lesson. A 
teacher cannot teach what he does not know, and 
by no means all he does know. This makes it im¬ 
perative for him to have a supply of knowledge on 
which to draw. There must be a big head of water 


LEARNER AND LEADER 


139 


above tbe dam if there is to be abundant power to 
run the mill. 

Find out what the lesson for next Sunday is. 
Then go first of all to the text in the Bible. Read 
it again and again. Every lesson help presumes 
the teacher will do this on Monday, for the daily 
reading for that day is always the lesson text for 
next Sunday, or at least a part of it. Then day 
by day he is asked to read related scripture texts. 
This of itself will give the facts and doctrines of 
the lesson. 

There can be no stereotyped plan as to when and 
how often the teacher will study his Teachers’ 
Magazine and other periodical helps. It is suffi¬ 
cient to say that he ought to begin early enough 
in each week to learn the exposition of the lesson 
as set forth in these helps. It is not enough to do 
this. He must try to make this knowledge his own 
in his own way. No people in the world possess 
so much individuality as country people, and this 
fine and valuable characteristic will show itself in 
the preparation of Sunday-school lessons. One of 
the best teachers the author ever heard is a farmer 
with barely a high-school education, but he is 
a great soul, making clear great truths every 
Sunday. 

(3) Planning the lesson is a big factor in suc¬ 
cessful teaching. Many good men and women fail 
in the Sunday-school work right here. They have 
the personality. They know much about the Bible, 


140 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


but they do not put that knowledge in usable shape 
before going to the Sunday School, but trust that 
somehow or other they will impart that knowledge 
to the pupils in the class. 

Planning the lesson is often called “ lesson build¬ 
ing.’ 7 That is exactly what is done, but it is just 
the reverse of planning and building a house. In 
the latter the builder decides on the plan and then 
gets the material; but with a lesson the teacher 
gathers the material in the way already discussed 
and then lays his plan to use that material to the 
best advantage in the lives of his pupils. Charac¬ 
ter is being built by every pupil, and the teachers 
are helping them in the building. They are trying 
to fit into this structure great facts and truths from 
God’s word. They must plan carefully how to do 
this if they wish to succeed. Study a few sug¬ 
gestions : 

(a) From the material already in hand the 
teachers must select the central truth as they see 
it. It may already have been named by the lesson 
writer, and yet teachers may find something they 
can use to better advantage from their own think- 
ing. If they do, by all means use it. David would 
not even use the king’s armour when it was offered. 
He could use his own sling and a smooth stone to 
better advantage against Goliath. The teacher’s 
own very best self will tell him what to do. 

(b) Do not forget that at home the teacher 
plans his lesson for next Sunday. Select from ac- 


LEARNER AND LEADER 


141 


cumulated material such other truths or facts as 
can be properly related and used with the central 
truth. All you have learned cannot be used. It 
will not all fit. Did any one ever build a house 
and not have some unused and unusable material 
left ? City folks are now erecting “ Aladdin ” 
houses—they are cut to order. Country people do 
not want their Sunday-school lessons like that. 

(c) Remember the lesson must fit the pupil to 
be taught, considering age, sex, environment and 
development. This is called finding the point of 
contact . If there is no plan to do this there will 
be failure. This means starting with the knowl¬ 
edge and experience of the pupil and then adding 
to this the new lessons to be taught. 

(d) Plan at the point of a pencil In other 
words, get in the habit of doing some writing while 
planning the lesson. The teacher may not be able 
to analyze thought skilfully, but he can in his own 
way write the u key ” words and thoughts for 
presentation to the class. A great farmer and edi¬ 
tor of a farm paper says that a lead pencil is the 

most useful tool on a farm. 

(e) Be sure to plan for a finished job. Plan 
for a review of facts and truths and then an ap¬ 
plication of these to the lives of those taught. Do 
not leave these truths “ hanging in the air/’ but 
lodge them securely in minds and hearts. 

3. Before the class. As far as the work with 
the class is concerned, this time is the u crisis ” of 


142 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 

tile whole week. There are 168 hours in a week, 
and tne teacher has only one-half of one of them. 
Dy all means make this count—every minute of 
it for these minutes ought to be considered sacred. 
Let all the organization of the school and the 
classes co-operate to this end: 

(1) Good order and a spirit of reverence are 
necessary. If there are several classes in one room, 
as nearly all country Sunday Schools will have, 
there must be considerable noise, but mere noise is 
not disorder. The terrible noise of a railroad train 
is not disorder and does not prevent thoughtful 
reading and intelligent conversation. Reduce the 

noise to a minimum in every way possible in the 
Sunday School. 

(2) Look out for physical comforts. This 
means there must be suitable seats for all ages of 
pupils. Some one must be at the church early 
enough in winter to build a fire so the building will 
not be too cold. Souls will not glow with spiritual 
fervour and minds will not attend to truth with 
interest if bodies are shaking with cold. In hot 
weather if doors and windows are not opened early 
so that fresh air can replace the hot stuffy air a 
week old the church will have more “sleepers” 
than “pillars.” As far as possible make the en¬ 
tire interior as attractive as possible—floors, win¬ 
dows and seats clean; flowers, in season, on pulpit, 

table and organ ; the walls fresh with whitewash or 

paint. 



LEARNER AND LEADER 


143 


(3) Remember the “point of contact.” Do 
not forget the kind of class to be taught. If the 
pupils are small children they have a very limited 
vocabulary and words which they understand must 
be used. They have a very narrow horizon of 
knowledge of men and things. Keep inside of 
these limits in the beginning of the lesson, and go 
outside as far as possible with the new lesson, thus 
widening this horizon or experience week by 
week. 

In classes of older pupils this principle of teach¬ 
ing is just as important as with children. The 
country teacher has one big advantage of city teach¬ 
ers. The classes in any department are homogene¬ 
ous in knowledge, environment and general experi¬ 
ence. This can be used to the greatest advantage. 
An illustration adapted to one member of the class 
is suitable for all. An appeal needed by one is 
needed by all. 

(4) Use approved methods of teaching. The 
space available here is entirely inadequate to dis¬ 
cuss these. Only a few general suggestions can be 

made: 

(a) Three main things enter into the teaching 
of every lesson. These are getting started, bring¬ 
ing out the facts and truths in the body of the les¬ 
son and ending right. Books on u Teaching ” call 
these preview, presentation and review. The old 
negro preacher was a real philosopher when he de¬ 
scribed his methods of presenting truth. He said, 


144 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


“ I tells ’em wliat Use gwine to tell ’em, den I tells 
’em, den I tells ’em what I’se done tole ’em.” This 
is all there is to it. 

Of course connect the new lesson with those al¬ 
ready taught. This is especially necessary in all 
narrative and historical lessons. It makes a fine 
starting point. This makes the several lessons be¬ 
come one great whole in the thinking of the pupils. 
In presenting the main facts use such methods as 
can be effective. 

(b) Some general methods. The old verse by 
verse method is not the best, but a good one for 
many teachers. The teacher brings out the facts, 
the explanations and teachings as he goes along. 
He will have to be guarded lest he dwell too long 
on one verse. 

The lecture method is when the teacher does all 
the talking. The class is too nearly of equal at¬ 
tainments to make this necessary in a country 
Sunday School. The whole class can be made to 
co-operate by planning for topical discussion. 
These topics should be assigned a week ahead, such 
as the places, the persons, the time, the main facts, 
the application. 

(c) Illustrations are so important we wish to 
put great emphasis on the use of them. The eye 
should be used in every way possible. The five 
senses are the avenues to the brain. Some one has 
said the eye is the “ big gate ” for truth and facts 
to enter. Lesson helps, books and common sense 


LEARNER AND LEADER 


145 


will help the teacher find illustrations. He will 
use a blackboard, many pictures and special de¬ 
vices of his own planning. 

The story is really a word picture and is one of 
the best of illustrations. To be able thus to pic¬ 
ture truth in words is to become a real artist. It 
is one of the most coveted gifts. All the essentials 
of a good story will be learned and applied from 
week to week in teaching children. 

(d) Questions should never be neglected. 
Some one has said that where there are no ques¬ 
tions there is no teaching. This is not true, but 
every teacher should learn how to ask questions and 
also how to answer those asked by his pupils. 
Study the questions in lesson helps as a guide in 
lesson preparation, but never become a slave in 
using these questions to the exclusion of those made 
by yourself. 

4. General activities. Practically all teachers 
in country Sunday Schools must be more than in¬ 
structors of classes on Sunday morning. Of course 
this is the most important thing in their relation 
to the Sunday School, but other things are im¬ 
portant too. 

(1) Teachers are executives in most classes. 
If the class is built up they will be important fac¬ 
tors in doing this. They will always be on the 
lookout for new pupils if there are any unreached 
in the community. If the census is taken they will 
help to take it and tabulate it. Even if the class 


146 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


is organized the teacher will take a hand in co¬ 
operation with the other class officers, and where 
there is no organization the whole responsibility 
for everything is on the teacher—roll call, taking 
the offering, making the report, looking up absen¬ 
tees and teaching the lesson. 

(2) The social life of the pupils must be 
looked after. This can be done in many ways. A 
class can be the unit for this or some department 
or the whole school. About the happiest crowd I 
ever saw was over 100 men and women, averaging 
nearly fifty years old, from the Adult class of a 
Sunday School, in a social evening at the church. 
Teachers can have their own classes in their homes 
or in an outing elsewhere. Of course the Sunday- 
school picnic is not going to be neglected once a 
year. Then when Christmas comes the Sunday 
School should plan for some social function. 

(3) Other church agencies must be engaged in. 
The children, the girls and the women will be en¬ 
couraged to co-operate in societies fostered by the 
women. The young people will join some young 
people’s society. The teachers will lead in this co¬ 
operative effort to get every pupil of every class to 
be identified with every church agency to which he 
ought to belong. 

(4) Teachers as soul winners are reaching the 
climax of their work. Everything connected with 
a Sunday School is looking to this—the building 
and equipment, the officers, the grading, the class 


LEARNER AND LEADER 


147 


work. Every lesson should be planned and taught 
with this in view, that every unsaved member of 
the school may be saved. Teachers may not be 
skilled personal workers, but they can, by praying 
and teaching and by such personal words as they 
can use, try to win every one. If there is failure 
here the school is largely a failure. 

RESTATEMENT FOR REVIEW 

1. The Personality of the Teacher 

2. Preparing the Lesson 

(1) Have good lesson helps. 

(2) Gather abundance of material. 

(3) Plan your lesson. 

3. Before the Class 

(1) Have good order. 

(2) Plan for physical comforts. 

(3) Find the “ point of contact.” 

(4) Use approved methods. 

4. General Activities 

(1) Teachers as executives. 

(2) In the social life of the pupils. 

(3) In other church activities. 

(4) As soul winners. 


XIII 


MAGNIFYING THE COUNTRY SUNDAY 

SCHOOL 

T HE essential matters pertaining to an effi¬ 
cient country Sunday School have now 
been discussed. An effort has been made 
to show how to reach the people who ought to at¬ 
tend, how to grade them, and how to select general 
officers and class officers. There was some discus¬ 
sion of class activities. A study was made as to 
how to secure an adequate building. The school 
was in session and the teachers stood before their 
classes giving instruction in the Word and work 
of the Lord. To what end does it all conspire ? In 
a full conception of the opportunity and possible 
achievement of the country Sunday School there 
is inspiration sufficient to arouse and thrill every 
Christian worker. Let us dwell for a moment on 
making the most of this great institution, known as 
the country Sunday School. 

I. HAVING AN OBJECTIVE 

Sunday Schools are like individuals—if they are 
aimless in their work they never achieve real suc¬ 
cess. A distinguished efficiency expert in the busi- 

148 


MAGNIFYING SCHOOL 


149 


ness world says, “ The first step towards real suc¬ 
cess in any enterprise is a definite objective.” The 
workers in every Sunday School should learn as 
quickly as possible just what ought to be done and 
begin at once to do these things. There are general 
standards set up; these may be reached by practi¬ 
cally any Sunday School, and ought to become 
familiar to every worker, occupying much of his 
working thought and a chief place in his heart’s 
desire. 

An illustration of an effort to reach an objective 
will magnify the country Sunday School. This 
school was in the open country. There were nor¬ 
mal conditions in education, general culture and 
wealth. The pastor and some of his co-workers got 
a vision of what ought to be done and undertook at 
once to do it. They began to magnify the Sunday 
School. Here are some things that happened in one 
pastorate of a dozen years: 

(1) The Sunday School quickly attained its 
denominational Standard of Excellence and then 
kept it year by year. (2) The church went from 
once-a-month preaching to half time and then to 
full time. (3) It went, meanwhile, from offer* 
ings for benevolences of $400 a year to $4,000. 

(4) Practically every person reared in the com¬ 
munity above ten years of age is a Christian. 

(5) More than sixty of the young people have gone 
to college. (6) The church has furnished to the 
world four preachers—two of them foreign mis- 


150 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


sionaries—twenty teachers in public schools, two 
physicians and one lawyer. All these things were 
accomplished largely because one country church 
had magnified its Sunday School. 

II. AWAKE AND SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITIES 

Are we all asleep as to real possibilities and op¬ 
portunities? We most certainly are. Nearly 
twenty-five per cent of country churches do not 
even have a. Sunday School. These churches are 
missing their greatest opportunity and failing in 
their greatest work. Then hundreds of others with 
Sunday Schools are asleep and don’t know it. 
Paul’s words (Romans 13:11) apply now: “ And 
this, knowing the season, it is high time for you to 
awake out of sleep.” Pacts local and world-wide 
call for such an awakening. Note a few that shout 
aloud in almost appalling significance: 

The last federal religious census indicates that 
only 7,897,209 people in a population of 36,541,750 
in the South belong to any Sunday School. This 
leaves 29,644,541 not in Sunday School. In round 
numbers only twenty per cent of the population 
belong to a Sunday School! The South is largely 
rural, and conditions in the country are worse than 
in the cities and towns, for many of the rural 
churches have no Sunday Schools at all. 

These same statistics show fearful conditions 
among church members. In this territory there 
were reported in 1916, 18,045,434 church members 


MAGNIFYING SCHOOL 


151 


with only 4,728,325 in Sunday School, leaving 
13,317,119 church members who do not have 
enough interest to even belong to the Sunday 
School. 

Awahe now. This is a period of reconstruction. 
Everything is changing. If the Sunday Schools 
are not adapted to the needs and opportunity of the 
hour this great opportunity will be lost. Let the 
country Sunday Schools awake before industrialism 
shall make them even more dormant than now. 
Then again, with millions of foreigners coming to 
American shores these schools ought to he ready to 
meet the isms and heresies brought by this foreign 
invasion. 

A case in 'point. Concrete examples of awaking 
and meeting success will encourage workers in any 
undertaking. A backwoods Sunday School that 
had been asleep for years—yes, it was dead— 
opened its sessions again and tried to he really 
active. The school invited a Sunday-school Field 
Worker to speak to them. He found the building 
in dreadful condition—no paint, plastering off the 
walls and ceiling, window panes out, the yard over¬ 
grown with weeds and bushes—dilapidation every¬ 
where. The working of the Sunday School was 
almost as unpromising as the physical sur¬ 
roundings. 

The visitor presented the claims of an up-to-date 
Sunday School. The superintendent caught a 
vision. He set definite things to he done and began 


152 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


doing them. He was not a trained man—just a 
one-horse tenant farmer—hut he secured the public 
school teacher to lead the teacher-training class. 
He put everybody to work. There was harmony 
and co-operation. The Sunday School and all the 
workers were awake. 

Two years later the Field Worker went again. 
The house had been thoroughly repaired. Carpets 
were on the aisles, curtained spaces had been pro¬ 
vided for all the classes, the school had been graded, 
every teacher and officer had received a Normal 
diploma for a course in teacher training, and the 
entire school was accredited as a Standard Sunday 
School. Here was a school that had been asleep 
and was now awake. 

HI. REALIZE THE BIGNESS OF THE ENTERPRISE 

So many country Sunday Schools are so small 
that they never think of belonging to anything of 
great proportions. In such an hour everyone of 
them must be made to know they are a part of one 
of the most meaningful enterprises on earth. 

(1) Past achievements and immediate tasks 
challenge the Sunday Schools of the present. Many 
thought of the little country Sunday Schools as of 
small moment, but they were factors in the civic, 
social, moral and religious life of America that 
made this great nation what it is. Early statesmen 
recognized their value, and in the hours of the 
world crisis of to-day men in every walk of life 


MAGNIFYING SCHOOL 


153 


expect them to do in the present what they did in 
the past. In such an hour can a Sunday School live 
or deserve to live that does not in its innermost 
fibre thrill to the call ? 

(2) Country Sunday Schools must save in¬ 
dustry. Study the industrial life in any city or 
manufacturing center to-day. The men who are 
leading in big business have come, for the most 
part, from the farms. If America is to hold her 
own, business will still need men and women with 
strong bodies and strong character. These future 
captains of industry need the teachings of the Bible 
in boyhood. The country Sunday School is the 
main agency for doing this. 

(3) They must save the city churches. In the 
South to-day nearly ninety per cent of the officers 
and teachers in the city churches came from the 
country. These city churches will always need a 
steady stream of new members from the open coun¬ 
try. These former country hoys and girls from the 
little country Sunday Schools are the real bulwark 
of Christianity to-day. This is no reflection on the 
city reared men and women of consecration and 
faithfulness. They are loyal and true, but there 
are not enough of them. They need recruits. 

(4) They must furnish the preachers and mis¬ 
sionaries. They have always been doing this. A 
statement from a very large theological seminary 
says that for twenty years about five-sixths of all 
students have come from country churches. Dur- 


154 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


ing twenty years 2,762 students have matriculated. 
Who can ever estimate what these 2,225 country 
hoys with college and seminary training have been 
worth to Christianity and the world? 

A professor of Bible in a Christian college writes 
that during his professorship of twenty-five years 
he has taught about 1,000 young preachers. He 
says ninety-five per cent came from the country. 
His present class is seventy-nine, and the percent¬ 
age holds good. 

The author has before him the names of 203 
ministerial students of one state now in denomina¬ 
tional high schools, colleges and seminaries. There 
are 190 of these from the country. There are many 
other future preachers in these same schools who 
will decide for the ministry later. There are sev¬ 
enty-five young women in these same schools pre¬ 
paring to be missionaries at home and in foreign 
lands, and the proportion from the country holds 
good. 

An officer of a great Foreign Mission Board 
writes that at least ninety per cent of all mission¬ 
aries sent out during seventy-five years came from 
the country. 

There is another class of preachers to be consid¬ 
ered. They are not in the schools and colleges. 
They never were. They are not men of letters. 
God called many of them to the ministry after 
school days were over. There are thousands of them. 
Practically all of them came from the country. 


MAGNIFYING SCHOOL 


155 


Such men in the future will fill thousands of 
pulpits. 

With such facts before him, who will doubt 
the wisdom of “ Magnifying the Country Sunday 
School ? ” What officer or teacher can fail to see 
the importance of his work in our civilization and 
the coming of the Master’s Kingdom ? Every such 
officer or teacher is a sentry of the Lord and can 
fail in his duty only to the peril of the whole church 
militant. 

RESTATEMENT FOR REVIEW 

1. Review of Contents 

2. Have an Objective 

3. Awake Out of Sleep 

(1) Conditions in the South. 

(2) A day of reconstruction—awake now. 

(3) A case in point. 

4. The Bigness of Country Sunday Schools 

(1) Past achievements a challenge. 

(2) They must save industry. 

(3) They must save the city churches. 

(4) They must furnish the preachers. 


XIV 


QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW AND 
EXAMINATION 

CHAPTER I 

1. Why must we pay more attention to coun¬ 
try churches? 

2. Name in four words the things to be done 
to meet the challenge. 

3. Give a brief survey of some difficulties. 

4. Name some conditions that are encour¬ 
aging. 

CHAPTER II 

5. Give some facts about how many are in 
Sunday School. 

6. Name four ways of reaching the people. 

7. How may you advertise the school? 

8. Tell how to take a religious census. 

9. Tell how to “ stop the leaks.” 

10. Tell what will put life in a Sunday School. 

CHAPTER III 

11. What principle is involved in grading? 

12. Give some values of grading. 

13. Name the eight departments and the ages 
allotted to each department in a graded Sunday 
School. 

14. Give an outline for ten classes. 

15. Tell how to grade a Sunday School. 

16. How may a Sunday School be kept graded? 

156 & 


QUESTIONS FOB REVIEW 


157 


CHAPTER IV 

17. Name some qualifications of a superin¬ 
tendent. 

18. Name some of his general duties. 

19. Why should lie plan a program? 

chapter v 

20. Discuss the pastor’s attitude to the Sunday 
School. 

21. Name some things a pastor ought to do. 

22. Name some duties of the associate super¬ 
intendent. 

23. Indicate the importance of Sunday-school 
music. 

24. Give names and duties of other officers. 

CHAPTER VI 

25. State the plan of organization for elemen¬ 
tary classes. 

26. Outline suitable equipment. 

27. Tell of the opportunities and the work in 
a Cradle Roll. 

28. Where and how should all these classes be 
conducted ? 

29. What kind of lessons should he used in 
elementary classes? 


CHAPTER VII 

30. Discuss briefly the Intermediates—ages, 
organization and activities. 

31. Why should church members go to Sunday 
School ? 

32. Tell of the membership and work of a 
Home Department. 


158 A COUNTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL 


CHAPTER VIII 

33. State tlie main features of a class con¬ 
stitution. 

34. Name the officers in an organized class. 

35. Give the duties of at least two officers. 

36. Give some values and state some dangers in 
organization. 


CHAPTER IX 

37. What conditions face us regarding Sunday- 
school buildings? 

38. Tell how to use curtains. 

39. State four ways of remodelling a one-room 
building. 

40. What are some types of new buildings ? 

chapter x 

41. What things should he considered in plan¬ 
ning a program? 

42. When and how should a program be pre¬ 
pared ? 

43. Show how to render the program. 

44. How may the eleven o’clock hour be used ? 

45. Name several features that should always 
be in the program. 


chapter xi 

46. Why does teaching hold a place of primacy 
in the work of a church ? 

47. Give some Biblical instances showing the 
place of teaching in Kingdom work. 

48. Name some great agencies fostering Sun¬ 
day Schools. 

49. How does secular education challenge Sun¬ 
day Schools? 


QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW 


159 


' . . .. 

50. Why do we need trained teachers? 

Tell how to get trained teachers. 

CHAPTER XII 

52. Why is the personality of a teacher so im¬ 
portant ? 

53. Give three steps in preparing a lesson. 

54. Tell how to plan a lesson. 

55. Name four things which should be consid¬ 
ered by the teacher when before the class. 

56. Name some general activities of teachers. 

57. Tell of teachers as soul-winners. 

CHAPTER XIII 

58. Why should every Sunday School have an 
objective? 

59. Give some facts showing why Sunday 
Schools should “ wake out of sleep.” 

60. Why may country Sunday Schools be con¬ 
sidered “ big business ? ” 


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